Unexpected Turn of Events
by vulnera-sapientia
Summary: Everyone has graduated high school and moved on with the next chapter of their lives. But when Bonnie finds out someone is after her powers, she goes to the one person she knows won't have a problem taking them down. But as Bonnie and Damon spend more time together plotting and planning, hidden feelings begin to emerge. Set after Season 4 finale. Bamon for the win!
1. Chapter 1

**Okaaaaaay, so this is my first fanfic so be gentle. I adore Bonnie and Damon together so I thought I would try my hand and writing my own story for them.**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

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_Oh, boy._

Damon sat in the living room swirling his bourbon. He should have known this was going to happen. After spending so much time around her, he should have realised how strong his feelings would become. Usually he could avoid this kind of thing; intimate feelings. All those gooey, lovey dovey emotions. There had been only one exception after Katherine where he had decided to risk his heart for a woman: Elena.

But since she had become human again and made the decision to go back to Stefan, Stefan had readily accepted and they'd ridden off into the sunset… Well, they'd ridden off to college, two hours away. So Damon gave them his best wishes, shut his heart off, and remained in Mystic Falls living the life of a bachelor.

Until he'd begun spending more time around a certain witch. He couldn't even pinpoint when he'd actually realised his developing feelings for her. Maybe it had been when she kissed him for the first time. Or when he had kissed her the time after that. He didn't know, but he did know he loved Bonnie, and he wanted her. Bad. He had never felt this way about about anyone. Even with Elena, it wasn't like this; it hadn't felt this intense. He couldn't stop thinking about their first kiss. Her lips on his, his immediate reply. The way that for once he wasn't the one to make the first move. And then the kiss that triggered all sorts of feelings between them-the kiss that he had initiated. It had been incredible. If they hadn't been interrupted, who knows what would have happened…

Damon smirked. Oh, he knew what would have happened. He would have shown her the time of her life. Immediately he pushed the thought aside. He didn't want Bonnie to be like all the others. He wanted her to be the very last woman he slept with, his one and only. He was only thinking like a tool because she'd rejected him.

_Really dude? What is wrong with you?_

He groaned inwardly. A witch, seriously? He had feelings for a witch? And a Bennett witch at that? Yeah, there had been the witch he'd dated back in the nineties, but that was merely fascination. Curiosity. After that Damon decided he'd rather stick to humans; much less complicated and far safer. But after spending so much time with her, dealing with the witch business she needed help with and seeing her power, he began to open his eyes to who Bonnie really was.

He tried to think, tried to remember when his feelings for her started to change. He had begun to suspect that she had developed some kind of feeling for him, which was made evident when she made the first move. After that night, all he could think about was that kiss. But then when he admitted to her he felt something for her, she had turned cold and told him to leave her alone.

_Women. When will you ever learn?_

He should have just kicked her out of his house that first day this all started: the day she came running to him for help.

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**I plan on writing a whole story but I've decided to test out the first couple of chapters. If people like it then I'll continue. So read and review away! Thanks :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I decided to put the second chapter up early. Tell me what you think! I could really use all the advice I can get since i'm a beginner. Let me know if there's something I can improve on. Thanks guys! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

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Bonnie felt like crap.

It had been a little over a fortnight since she had last seen Damon. Since he had told he loved her. And if she was being honest with herself, she missed him. More than she thought was humanly possible. She'd been crying for what felt like months, her eyes red and swollen. She had no appetite and couldn't sleep. After everything they had been through together these past few months, after everything he had done for her, she had thrown his feelings back in his face. He had opened up to her, and she had turned her back on him.

In her defence, she knew what he was like. And she knew what she could do to him.

Yes, she wanted to believe that he was in love with her. And yes, she could admit to herself that she was in love with him. That was easy. And she didn't want to deny it; it felt good to say. But over the last couple of months, every time she had wanted to tell him so, a voice in the back of her mind kept telling her _This is Damon. He's not the settling down type. Not now. Or are you forgetting what he went through with Elena? _And she'd chickened out.

Until the night Damon showed up wanting to help her; wanting to comfort her. She couldn't stop herself. She wanted him so much. So she had kissed him. And he had kissed her back, and it had been amazing. Until she realised what she had done. After that she had avoided him at all costs, and it was working; until they decided to give into their attraction. And when Damon had been in danger, when that crazy witch had come after her through him, she knew she couldn't lose him. He had saved _her_ that night. If he had remained unconscious a second later...

She shivered at the memory. She was totally drained after that battle, physically and mentally. And Damon had helped her, despite what she'd done to him. She'd become his new Elena: always having to put his life at risk to help her. But Elena had never hurt him; not physically, at least. And she loved him too much to have him in danger-not for her, but _because_ of her. To think he had an obligation to protect her when he should be protecting himself-by staying away from her. She just didn't know he would profess his love for her that day, which made it all the more harder to let him go. He didn't know that of course; he just thought she didn't feel for him as much as he did for her.

But after the roller coaster of emotions he put her through, the past two weeks she spent crying like a little girl, she knew that if she could go back in time and relive these past few months differently, she wouldn't change a thing.

**Six months earlier**

Bonnie could feel something following her. The past six months she had been travelling through Europe, deciding to defer college for a year. Next year she would be joining Caroline, Elena and Stefan, but for now she needed to rediscover herself outside of Mystic Falls. Right now she was in Venice, enjoying some of the sights. But every now and then she would get the feeling someone was standing right behind her. Only, she'd turn around and there was no one there. She'd put it down to paranoia, until two witches tried to kidnap her while she was walking back to her hotel. They'd come out of nowhere, but Bonnie was no novice. It was easy to neutralise the threat, despite there being two of them; but Bonnie decided it was time to move on. She'd been in Venice a little longer than the other places and figured the attackers were rogue witches trying to take a fellow witch's power for sport.

At least up to the point where she walked into half a dozen witches trying to take her down in London. Again, they were hardly a threat. Bonnie was a Bennett, one of the most powerful of her line. However the fact she had been attacked twice in the space of a fortnight was troubling. She decided six months was long enough to find herself and returned to Mystic Falls, Virginia on the earliest possible flight.

When she returned to her home town, she felt as if it were somehow more peaceful. The original family had packed up and moved to New Orleans, and she had taken care of Silas before graduation last year. But still, she couldn't help but feel as if something had followed her back. So instead of going straight home, she went to the Grill to see Matt. Like her, he had deferred for a year in order to make a little more money before starting college.

"Bonnie!" He called as she walked through the door. "What the hell are you doing back? I thought you were off to see the world?" he said with a grin on his face.

Bonnie laughed. "Yeah, well, nothing compares to the comfort of home. So I figured I'd cut my trip short." She hesitated, and then looked over her shoulder.

"What is it?" Matt asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no! Nothing's wrong," Bonnie assured him, "I'm just being my usual paranoid self I guess."

"Well, it's great to have you back Bon," Matt said. "We all have to catch up when the rest of the gang is back in town."

"Absolutely." Bonnie gave Matt a hug before leaving and made her way to her car. As she was walking she began to hear voices. Ghosts, she realised. After dying and then miraculously coming back while the supernatural veil was down last year, a side effect was her being able to hear the voices of supernatural beings that had passed. It only happened when she was in Mystic Falls. She recognised their frantic whispering as warnings. Something was coming for her. For a second she felt dizzy. She hadn't needed to worry about any of this for months now. Now she was right in the middle of something else, and she didn't even have any idea what it was. She couldn't talk to Matt about it; he had his own problems to stress over. So she decided to go to the only other person who still resided in Mystic Falls.

As she drove up to the Salvatore boarding house, a sense of nostalgia washed over her. So many things had taken place here. Now she was coming back and about to ask help from the last person she wanted to see today. As she got out of her car and walked toward the front door, the voices spoke up again, even more frantic this time. She spun around, and just managed to see a shadow disappear before she ran to the front door. She entered as fast as she could and slammed it before anything could get in. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the door. She was breathing hard from the adrenaline that kicked in when she saw the shadow. She was so busy trying to calm her breathing that she didn't notice a figure standing right in front her until she opened her eyes and screamed.

"Hasn't anyone ever taught you to knock, witch?" Damon remarked.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm getting so into this story I've written three chapters tonight :) Hopefully I'll have more up this week as I'm really enjoying it. Please let me know what you think! Bless x**

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_Well well well, _Damon mused. _The witch has returned._

She looked a little shaken up-honestly he didn't expect her to get that much of a fright. She'd cut her hair since she left. It was no longer flowing down her back, but curling above her shoulders. She also looked refreshed, but something was tugging at her. She was stressed about something.

"Dammit, Damon! Why must you do that?" Bonnie screamed at him. He kind of missed it these past six months, Bonnie screaming at him. He would never admit it aloud, but he kind of missed the little witch.

He was pretty much a loner nowadays. Sure, Stefan and Elena visited often, but it's not like they were here as much as they were last year. Besides, he was still a little tender from Elena ditching him for his baby brother. She was friendly of course, but it would take a little time before things went back to the way they were. If they were even able to go back to the way they were.

"Do what? And in case you haven't realised, this is my house!" He shouted back. He really missed this. Bonnie was the only person he could have a screaming match at and she wouldn't get offended; she'd just scream louder.

However, this time she did not. "Never mind, I need your help. I think someone, or something, is following me." _Interesting, _Damon thought. He was so bored lately he was actually excited for something to do. He wouldn't let her know that though.

"What makes you think I'd want to help you?" He asked. Bonnie hesitated. He watched her as the possibility that he wouldn't help her crossed her features. He saw it. That little stress line at the top of her forehead. She was genuinely concerned that something bad was going on. And that she'd have to face it alone.

A few seconds passed before Bonnie said anything. Then her features changed entirely. They became arrogant, almost as if she knew what he was thinking. "Because you're bored out of your mind here by yourself, and you won't be able to resist helping me find out what's going on."

He had to hand it to her, the girl wasn't slow. A slow grin appeared on his face. "Well, since you put it that way, I think I have some spare time to help with your little supernatural stalker problem."

Bonnie looked visibly relieved. She didn't even think her little arrogance act would work. His respect for her was growing in leaps and bounds today. "Great. Okay, so I was in Venice a couple of weeks ago and-" Damon interrupted. "You were in Venice?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you know how delicious the scotch is there? If you were going to ask me for help you could have at least brought something with you to soften me up."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Anyway, so I was walking back to my hotel and these two witches tried to attack me." That got Damon's attention. "What happened?"

"Well I fought them off. They weren't very well trained so it didn't take long. So I ended up going to London and guess what happened?"

Damon pondered for a moment. "You met the Queen?"

Bonnie glared at him. "Can you please take this seriously?"

Damon looked offended. "Meeting the Queen is a perfectly logical guess considering-" Bonnie interrupted his rant. "I was attacked by half a dozen witches while I was in London."

Damon scoffed. "How is anyone supposed to guess that?" Bonnie stayed silent for a moment to supress her frustration. "Damon, that wasn't all. You know how after I came back from… well, you know how it came with side effects?"

Damon waved her on. "Yeah, yeah, you can chat with ghostly people now. What about it?"

"Well I was walking towards my car and I felt like something was watching me, and then these ghost voices all started bombarding me with warnings, tell me to beware. Then when I got here and stepped out of my car they bombarded me again and it was even worse. And when I turned around I saw a shadow disappear, and that's why I ran into your house." Bonnie stopped for a breath.

Damon didn't say anything for a moment, he simply looked at Bonnie. He could tell she was serious; she wouldn't have come to him otherwise. Plus, she didn't like talking about what happened after she died and came back.

"Okay," he said at last. "I'll help you find out what's going on. It's not like I have anything better to do anyway."

Bonnie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she said. "So when should we start?"

"Tomorrow morning." It was already late afternoon so Damon decided to leave it at that. He watched her leave and decided to pour himself a glass of his favourite Bourbon. _Me and the witch working side by side once again, _he thought to himself as he sipped his alcohol. _This is going to end well. _

Of course he didn't know at the time, but he had just let Bonnie walk right into a trap.

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**Thanks again! Read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**People have been so nice and are giving me such great reviews I've decided to continue with the story, although I don't know right now how fast I'll be able to write it so be patient :)  
****Anyway thank you all so much for your kind words, it honestly means a lot :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

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Bonnie arrived home and set her bags down. It was amazing getting to see all the sights overseas, but there really was no place like home.

She was just about to walk to the kitchen and fix herself something to eat when she heard a _whoosh _come from her lounge. She turned to investigate, and that was when she finally noticed the ghost voices again. Since she had learned of this side effect she had spent weeks trying to learn how to control when she could hear them; but the voices would slip through occasionally. Now she was glad of it, because the voices had turned out to be a kind of warning bell for danger lately.

Bonnie immediately tensed. She had no idea what had been following her these past few months but she had a feeling she was about to find out. But as she went to begin chanting in order to protect herself, she found she was unable to produce any magic. Her powers, she realised, weren't working.

"Try all you want sweetie, nothing will happen. I've put up my own special spells so you can't use magic in this house," a sweet voice said.

Bonnie spun in the direction of the voice. Standing behind her was a woman a little older than she was. However her eyes looked much older, like she had been around for a very long time.

"Who are-" Bonnie was about to say, but the woman interrupted.

"Don't worry; I'm not going to kill you… yet. But I dare say this will hurt a little." Before Bonnie knew it the woman had waved her hand and Bonnie went flying into the wall. Without her magic she was defenceless, so the woman was easily able to paralyse her.

She walked over slowly. "My name is Ariana, Bonnie. And I have special plans for you." Then everything went dark.

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Bonnie found herself waking to a dark room on a mattress that wasn't all that comfortable. A window in the small room showed it was almost midday, which meant that she'd been gone for at least twelve hours. She instantly began to panic. What if the witch planned on killing her sometime today? She tried using magic but nothing worked. Obviously the woman – Ariana - had used a spell on this too. Hardly anyone knew she was back in town, how would anyone know she was missing?

Then she remembered: Damon. They were supposed to meet up this morning and find out what had been following her. Well, she'd figured that part out. Now all she needed to figure out was why she was here, why Ariana wanted her. Hopefully Damon wouldn't think she wasn't showing up, that she'd decided against it. Maybe he'd be able to find her! But then she grew worried. Sure, if Damon put his mind to it he could find her in a pinch. But would he? Would he actually bother to try and find her?

Bonnie pushed Damon out of her mind for a moment. _I can do this myself, _she thought. _All I need to do is find out where I am and then find a way to break out of this place._

She went over to the barred space in the door and immediately her heart sank. Two witches stood there like bodyguards. Even if she could find a way to break the door, she wouldn't be able to fight two witches with no magic. They'd destroy her. So she sat on her mattress and tried to come up with a plan. A few hours passed, the sun was beginning to set, when she heard commotion outside her door. For a second she thought the witches were being replaced by fresh eyes, but then she heard shouting and grunting, and then silence. As she stood up to take a look the door was suddenly pulled from its hinges, and there stood the one and only, Damon Salvatore. The witches were knocked out cold on the ground behind him.

"You're back for three days and this is what you get up to?" Damon asked.

"It's not like I purposely-" Bonnie paused. "Did you say three days?!" She must have been unconscious for a whole day.

Damon looked surprised. "How could you not know how long you were out here?"

Bonnie looked confused. "She must have put a spell on me to keep me unconscious for twenty-four hours…" This time Damon looked confused. "She? Who are you talking about? We'll catch up on the way back, let's go."

"I found out who's been following me," Bonnie said as they left the woods. It turned out she was being held captive in a little makeshift cabin just outside of Mystic Falls; no wonder there were no ghost voices. "This witch called Ariana. Those must have been her little minions that came after me when I was in Europe," she said. "What the hell does she want? And why keep me alive?"

It was a few seconds before Damon said anything. "Well, I know one thing: you're not safe at your house. You can stay at the boarding house." Bonnie looked outraged. "What? No! I'm not staying with you. Besides, I don't want to be kicked out of my own house by that psycho witch."

"How was she even able to get you in the first place? I mean it's not as if you're a baby at this kind of thing," Damon considered.

"She wasn't exactly a baby either. She was powerful, really powerful. She put a spell on my house so I wouldn't be able to do magic in it." She paused. _I really hope that spell was temporary or I'll have no choice. I'll have to move in with Damon._

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Huh? Oh, I was just wondering if that spell she put on my house was permanent," Bonnie said. To herself she thought, _I really hope not._

As they got to Damon's car Bonnie asked, "How did you know I had been taken?"

"I just know these things Bonnie; I take an interest in saving damsels in distress. It's like second nature to me now," Damon replied with a smirk. Bonnie glared at him so he rolled his eyes. "Come on Bonnie, I called your phone when you didn't come over yesterday so I went to your house. When I saw the state your lounge was in I figured someone must have snatched you up."

Bonnie smiled. "Well thank you for helping me, I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't saved me." Damon smirked again. "I told you, it's what I do."

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When Damon dropped Bonnie off at her house he got out of the car as well and followed her to her door.

"What are you doing?" She asked him. He looked at her like she should already know the answer.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to see if that spell wore off, otherwise you're coming with me whether you like it or not."

She had to admit she was a little worried. If the spell was indeed still up, how would she protect herself? "Fine," she replied.

She opened the front door and walked into the lounge. Now she knew what Damon was talking about. The coffee table in the middle of the room had been broken and books had been thrown around. As she stood inside her house she tried to will the magic to come to her. Nothing happened. She tried again, mustering up all her power. Again, nothing. She sighed heavily, feeling defeated.

"Well," Damon said with a grin on his face. "Looks like we're going to be roommates for a while."

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**I'm not sure about this chapter, maybe I'll have to come back to it. I just felt we needed an introduction of the antagonist by now, but not enough that everything was obvious. But if you think it's fine let me know and I'll leave it as it is. Otherwise tell me how I can improve it, along with any of the other chapters. Again, thanks! Read and review away! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Let me know what you think!**

Disclaimer: I don not own anything

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_I am so going to regret this, _Damon thought to himself as he and Bonnie arrived at the boarding house.

He could tell she was scared-her hands were still shaking from when they'd left her house. He didn't know how he knew, but he could tell something wasn't right the second the clock hand hit eleven yesterday. Maybe it was because she was never late. No matter the urgency, Bonnie Bennett didn't like to be late. He'd put her absence down to lack of energy; after all, she'd only just arrived back in town after a long flight. But then he had tried to call her multiple times, and when she didn't answer any of them he began to grow suspicious. After he ended up going around to her house that evening and seeing her lounge in disarray, he quickly felt guilty. She had told him she was worried, and he had foolishly let her return home alone. He managed to pick up her scent and went on his way.

It took him a while to track her; the trail had been disguised somehow, but he was still able to pick it up. It ended up being dark by the time he found the cabin in the middle of the woods. He would have swooped in and saved her as soon as he got there, but he realised they weren't going to hurt her; at least not yet. So he'd watched closely as the witches guarding her were replaced every six hours. As soon as the next witches had been replaced, he'd made his move. They weren't expecting a vampire to show up so it was easy to get the jump on them.

His mind drifted back to Bonnie. Boy, she really had it tough. He felt bad for her, all the crap she had been through these past few years. But he wouldn't tell her that. She did not take well to pity. But as much as she tried to put on a strong face for everyone, he could tell it took its toll on her, that sometimes she just wanted to be comforted. Not that he'd be the one to do it. He might care for her somewhat, but they were never that close. A sort of alliance was about as good as it could get between the two of them, there was simply too much that had happened; too much that he had done. And ever since she'd had to say her final goodbye to Jeremy, she had closed herself off to almost everyone except Blondie.

When they were inside Damon gestured toward the staircase. "Pick a room," he said to Bonnie, who was slowly making her way into the living room.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "For letting me stay here. You didn't have to. I appreciate it."

_Hmm, she's awfully humble today, _Damon thought as she went to go upstairs. _Might as well have a little fun with it._

"Well, having you around might make my days a little more… enjoyable," he said with a grin. She spun around and glared at him. "I'm not here for your personal entertainment, Damon," she stated. "You're supposed to be helping me find out what this witch wants."

"Didn't I just let you move into my house? If that's not being helpful then I don't know what is," Damon replied. "And it's not as if I'm getting anything out of this… unless you're offering something in return." He waited for her to explode at him, his face beaming. But instead she smiled at him. "Cute. But you wouldn't be able to handle having a woman in control for once."

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie. I said nothing of the sort. I was thinking more along the lines of, i don't know, monetary payment." He gave her one of his trademark smiles. "But I mean I'm not objecting…" Bonnie's face flushed red. She may be older and wiser but Damon was, well, Damon. He was a pro at making girls melt. She turned toward the stairs and left with a loud "Ugh!" and he was left alone to his thoughts.

They would start investigating this witch business tomorrow. This crazy bitch witch didn't know what she had coming. He remembered his guilt at realising Bonnie had been taken. They might not be close, but he considered her an ally, if not a friend. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her again, he would make sure of it. Then his mind went in another direction. Bonnie blushing when he was making those suggestive comments. He felt a smile forming on his face from thinking of her reaction. She might be tough, but she wasn't impervious to the Damon Salvatore charm. No one was.

_This will be fun._

Maybe he wouldn't regret this after all.

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**Read and review away guys! Let me know if there's anything I should change in the story, or something I can improve on. I'm going to start introducing Bonnie's change in perception towards Damon in the next chapter, can't wait! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you sooooo much for the reviews! I really appreciate it. Okay, on with the story. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

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**One month later**

Bonnie sat in her room surrounded by spell books and research notes. She was slowly losing confidence in her pursuit for answers.

It had been a month since her kidnapping. She and Damon had researched everything they could on the woman who took her, Ariana. Damon inquired about her at the Sheriff's department and asked some old acquaintances who were known to hang out with witches. Bonnie also investigated around the witch community, asking if they had heard of the woman, but no one had. They even returned to the cabin outside of town where she had been kept, but of course there was no evidence that suggested anything had ever been there. Damon tried to pick up a scent to track her, but the woman was smart. This time she covered her tracks well, and he was unable to pick up anything. Bonnie also tried a tracking spell with no luck. Things weren't looking good.

She was frustrated. Here she was, a sitting duck, while a powerful witch planned her demise for reasons unknown. She, and potentially the people she cared about, was not safe while this witch was out there. She wanted to track her down and end her, which was easier said than done. This woman definitely knew how to live off the grid. And the only person she could discuss this whole problem with was Damon. She ended up begging him to promise he wouldn't let the others know what was going on. She didn't want them to worry; they'd come back and try to help, and she didn't want them to put their lives on hold so they could track down some crazy witch. She wished she could vent her problems to Care, or even Elena. But she knew how they would react if they knew what was going on. So whenever they called she kept the conversation directed towards matters that weren't of the supernatural sort. Caroline was more worried about the fact she hadn't dated in a year, while Elena simply missed her best friend. She was surprised Damon actually kept his mouth shut after a whole month.

_Damon_. She smiled to herself.

He continued to surprise her. Even though she had known him for over three years, spent so much time around him, she often found herself noticing new things about him. He was persistent in his investigating; she already knew that. But she didn't know that while she slept at night he stayed up and watched the house for potential threats. She only found out a week ago when she went to the kitchen for a glass of water and found him standing in front of the window. She asked him what he was doing awake, and he had simply said "couldn't sleep." Then last night she had been up late reading old spells and noticed someone outside. She then saw it was Damon. At first she thought he was going somewhere to feed before she realised he was checking the woods around the house. She was grateful he was going to so much trouble to keep her safe, but she couldn't help but feel like a hindrance. She had already put up protection spells for the house, but he was going the extra mile for her. _It's probably out of duty to Elena, _she pondered.

But that wasn't all she was starting to notice.

She wasn't blind; she knew that Stefan and Damon Salvatore were very good looking. But because she spent so much time around them, she didn't bother seeing them as anything other than a friend and… Well, she didn't know what to call Damon. A friend as well? Were they friends? Who knew.

Lately she had started to notice just how good looking Damon really was. He was, to put it simply, fucking hot. She would find herself watching the way his ebony hair would fall softly around his face, or the way he would look at her with his perfect blue eyes as they discussed something witch-hunt related. Once last week she was walking down the hallway and happened to glance into his room while he was changing his shirt. She almost had an aneurism; she couldn't stop staring at his arms; muscular but not overly so, and his perfectly lean torso. Then she snapped out of it. She couldn't believe it. She was checking out Damon. Damon! The guy who was a serial lady killer - literally and figuratively. The guy who fell in love with his brother's girl and liked to hurt people for sport.

Then again, it wasn't his personality she was looking at. And she had definitely liked what she saw. But she knew better. He may be fine, but there was no way in hell that was ever happening. So she kept the staring to a minimum lest he find out, and continued with the bickering she had come to anticipate on a daily basis.

_Enough, _Bonnie scolded herself. _You can daydream about Damon later. Right now there are more important things to worry about._

She'd decided a couple of weeks ago that if she ever came across Ariana again, she was taking her down. She was simply too much of a threat. From the way she chose to trap and kidnap Bonnie, it was clear she wasn't after her help. She was after something else. So now whenever she and Damon weren't investigating the whereabouts of Ariana, Bonnie was brushing up on her spells and building up her power for the inevitable moment where they would come face to face once again.

_I'm not going to kill you... Yet... I have special plans for you._ What the hell did that mean, she wondered.

Damon chose that moment to stride into Bonnie's room with a file of papers, a triumphant smile on his face.

"I think we've got something."

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**Tell me what you think. Read and review away! x**


	7. Chapter 7

**Alright, so this chapter is a bit of a long one. But not only did I feel it was time to reveal a tidbit of Ariana's plan, the whole situation sort of needed to be set out in a way that was easy to grasp. Let me know if you think I should change it, or if you're enjoying how I'm setting out the story. I'm hoping to make it as long as i can without dragging it out, but i'll add more information in the story soon. Thanks guys! :)**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

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**One week later**

Damon looked over at Bonnie who was seated in the passenger seat of his Camaro. They were driving to Pennsylvania. They finally had a breakthrough in the investigation last week, and they were on their way to talk with a witch they thought had information about Ariana. He had gotten the information from Liz Forbes, who told him there had been strange attacks on young women in the surrounding states recently. The officials couldn't figure out what was going on; the victims had all been left in a comatose state, and one of the victims had even passed away from the attack. They had no leads.

There was a reason the police weren't getting anywhere. Liz had done a little digging and found that the victims were not random; they had all been witches, and the attacks had started only a month ago. _After Bonnie was kidnapped, _Damon thought to himself. Obviously Ariana was targeting other young witches besides Bonnie.

He could tell she was feeling guilty about the attacks; they hadn't started until she'd arrived back in town and she somehow felt responsible for what happened to those girls. He didn't believe it of course; she had nothing to do with the attacks, it was all Ariana. Every time he saw her brooding this past week he would scoff at her and tell her to stop channeling her inner Stefan for once, or try and distract her with some kind of research errand. He found himself trying to lift her mood almost every day, trying to make her feel just a tiny bit better. He would flirt with her, mock her and bicker with her. They had strengthened their relationship enough in the past six weeks for him to call her a friend, and he hated it when his friends were hurting. Hopefully when they talked to this witch she would get a little peace of mind; understand this was not her doing.

The witch they were going to see claimed she was a distant relative of Sheila's- Bonnie's late grandmother. Her younger sister was one of the witches who had been attacked and was currently in the hospital, so that was where they were meeting her. She said she might be able to tell them what Ariana was after. Damon was skeptical; he didn't know how this witch could possibly help but he agreed to meet her at Bonnie's insistence. She said any information would help, so here they were, crossing the boundaries into the Keystone State.

Besides, Damon was hoping they would find answers to why Ariana was attacking other witches as well as Bonnie. Something had been nagging at him ever since he found the information on the attacks. From what he gathered, all the other witches had been attacked in random places at random times and left there. Bonnie on the other hand had been trapped inside her own house and then held captive for two and a half days. Her abduction had been planned for what seemed like months in advance, whereas the others had simply taken place in what looked like the heat of the moment.

_What does she want with Bonnie, _Damon wondered. _And why leave her alone and go after other witches when she went to so much trouble to get to her in the first place? Why give up so easily?_

The attacks overseas, trapping and kidnapping Bonnie, and holding her hostage only to leave her alone and attack other witches; he was missing something. The behaviour didn't add up. Maybe she was biding her time, waiting for another opening. _That won't be happening; Bonnie isn't leaving my sight. And hopefully this trip won't be for nothing._

* * *

Damon and Bonnie inquired about the room they were looking for once the got to the hospital and found it in a matter of minutes. They both looked through the door.

A young woman lay in a hospital bed, her brain activity being monitored by machines. She was about the same age as Bonnie, if not a couple of years older, with long black hair and olive skin. But her hair looked lifeless; her skin pale. Damon could only assume the other woman who was sitting with her back to the door was her older sister, with the same black hair and olive skin.

She turned as they slipped through the door and immediately grew wary of Damon. He forgot that not all witches were comfortable around vampires; no amount of charm would help him here.

"I don't associate with your kind," the woman said firmly. "I won't speak to _him_ about this kind of business."

Damon was about to say something sarcastic that would no doubt offend her but Bonnie spoke before he could. "He's harmless, don't worry. But he's not here to stay, are you, Damon?"

He glared at her. She glared back and he started to feel a headache coming on. This was the most fiery he'd seen her all week, so he decided he could let her talk to the other witch alone if it meant she got the information she needed. So he simply said, "I'll be right outside if you need me, sweetie," kissed her cheek and walked out of the room with a grin on his face. He'll pay for that later.

He assumed she knew he would be listening in. He sat down on a chair not far away from the room and tuned his hearing into the conversation.

"Interesting company you keep," the woman said to Bonnie. "I've never seen a witch so… comfortable around their kind."

Bonnie laughed nervously. "What? No, no, it's not what you think. It's not like that at all. We're allies I guess you could say. Or friends, I suppose. Nothing more though," she added quickly.

The woman laughed. "Oh I'm not judging. Personally I have no problems with vampires, as long as they don't prey on innocents. It's a shame though; he's really quite handsome. If he were human…" She sighed. Damon smirked. _It's like I don't even need to try anymore._

"Um… So, I didn't catch your name when I called," Bonnie said. "And you said you knew my grams?"

The woman laughed again. "How rude of me, my name is Jamie. This is my baby sister Sarah." Damon could only assume she was gesturing toward the girl in the bed. "And yes, I did know Sheila, though not too well. We met once, a long time ago. She was not only a powerful witch but a good, good person. That's how I knew I could trust you, Bonnie."

Bonnie didn't say anything for a few seconds. He knew how hard it was for her to talk about her grams; but she didn't let her feelings distract her.

"I want to know everything you know about Ariana, the witch who kidnapped me and hurt your sister," Bonnie said.

Jamie hesitated. Damon could hear her heartbeat speed up. "The night my sister was attacked she was on her way to visit me. In fact she was right outside my house; I could see everything," she said softly.

"What did you see?" Bonnie asked quietly.

"A woman. One of us. She was strong too; much stronger than I am which meant my sister was no match. I heard the woman- Ariana- chanting a spell and I went to run outside but it was like I was trapped. And I couldn't use any magic. Then the next thing I know she'd disappeared and my sister was on the ground outside shaking… I tried to help her. I really did. But she was losing consciousness so quickly and I didn't want to leave her," Jamie said. "By the time she arrived at the hospital, there was no brain activity to be found."

Bonnie remained silent after Jamie explained what had happened to her sister. Damon could almost hear the gears grinding in her head, trying to come up with some explanation as to why Ariana was attacking witches, her own kind, in the first place. "I realised something as we were going to the hospital," Jamie added as Damon sat there contemplating the situation. He directed his attention back towards the conversation in the hospital room.

"What was that?" Bonnie asked.

"It was gone… Her magic." Jamie replied. Damon's mind went into hyper drive.

"It was gone? What do you mean?" Bonnie demanded.

"I don't know; it was just something I picked up on. Don't you feel it when you're around other witches? It's like their essence. You can sense when another witch is around, especially a sibling, someone you're close with… but with Sarah… There was nothing. It was as if she wasn't there."

Damon could hear Bonnie's heart rate increasing. They were so close to putting the pieces together, so close to finding out what Ariana was planning.

Bonnie spoke after a few more seconds. "But maybe her magic just disappeared when she…. lost consciousness?" Damon waited for what he knew was about to come. He should have seen that something along these lines was happening. He knew it wasn't impossible. After all, he'd seen something like this happen before, only not with such destructive consequences... to none other than Bonnie herself.

"Your magic can't just fade; it's a part of who you are," Jamie replied. "Even after death it remains with you, inside you. My sister's magic didn't just disappear; it was taken from her. All of it. It was like she'd never even had it."

* * *

**Okay, at this point in the story I've revealed a part of the bigger picture - Ariana is able to take a witch's powers, just like Luka's dad did to Bonnie back in season 2. This will be explained more in the next chapter. What she wants with Bonnie is a little more complicated, but you'll find out what she's up to soon enough. Read and review away, and again thank you all so much :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Firstly, I**** wanted to make sure the plot was clear so I feel this chapter was necessary for the story and for the readers. I also know you're all waiting for some Bamon romance, and trust me there will be some, but remember that it can't just happen; these two have a lot of history and i'm trying to prolong it a little to build up feelings between the two. Don't worry though, good things come to those who wait. Although in order for me to add a smidgen of romance I tweaked the first chapter. Not a lot, I just rewrote a part so I could add in an extra kiss ;)**

**Secondly, if you've seen the season finale of VD's then you'll know a whole bunch of crazy shit went down; however I am continuing to write my story as I imagined the finale went down, so keep an open mind. Read and review away guys, thanks for being so supportive! Sorry, continue with the story now :)**

* * *

Bonnie was silent most of the long trip back to Mystic Falls. She had too many things to worry about to engage in bickering with Damon right now, no matter how tempting.

_So Ariana is after my magic, _Bonnie thought to herself.

She shivered, and hoped Damon didn't notice. Someone taking her magic was one of the worst things that could happen to her. It had happened once before. Jonas Martin, a warlock who had worked for Elijah, took Bonnie's power from her because he thought she was abusing her gift. He managed to give it back to her before he died, but that didn't mean she hadn't been affected by the temporary loss of her magic. She hadn't felt like herself; it was like she was missing a limb, a part of her that wasn't supposed to leave her. Jonas had been powerful, but it seemed Ariana was in a completely different league. She wasn't only stealing the magic of other witches, but she was so strong her power was completely shutting down the minds of her victims, leaving them in an endless sleep.

Though Bonnie was much stronger now than she had been when her magic was taken, when Ariana came for her again she needed to do everything she could to make sure she could hold her own against her. That meant taking every precaution… including brushing up on expression. It was dangerous; she knew that. The more she tapped into it, the more she wouldn't be able to fight it. She'd finally learned to control it after all the business with Silas, but she still found it necessary to restrict her power. But however concerned she was about the magic being dark or wrong, she had an obligation to herself, her friends and family, and the young witches who were attacked to use every ounce of her power to stop Ariana.

They also needed to confirm their suspicions about Ariana targeting young witches and taking their power for herself. If Sarah's magic being taken turned out to be a one off thing then she and Damon would pretty much be back at square one. Bonnie was just about to mention this to Damon as they drove back into Mystic Falls, when out of nowhere Damon grabbed his head and started moaning in pain. A second later he slumped back in his seat, unconscious. Luckily he'd had the sense to take his foot off the accelerator and his car was now slowing down on the side of the road. When it came to a stop Bonnie looked out the windscreen and saw a figure standing in front of them. Bonnie quickly put a protection spell on Damon's car so he wouldn't get hurt, and got out.

"Hello, Bonnie. So good to see you again," Ariana said as Bonnie came to stand across from her. "You know, when you got away from my witches you left me at a terrible inconvenience. I'd timed your abduction perfectly but you ruined my plans. I'll admit I should have done my homework. I had no idea you were involved with… him. He's quite handsome." She nodded her head toward the car.

Bonnie blushed. "We're not… It doesn't matter. I know you're the one who's been attacking all those young witches. The attacks started after I was taken. But why? Why are you attacking other witches?" she demanded.

Ariana smiled. "Isn't it obvious? You should know this. A witch's magic is most vulnerable when they're only just growing into their power. It makes it the easiest time for it to be taken for myself. Of course, those witches weren't actually necessary-just a bit of greediness if I'm being completely honest."

Bonnie paused. So Ariana _was_ taking magic from all the witches she'd attacked-so she could have their power for herself. This woman was psychopathic. But at least things were starting to make a shred of sense.

"You're taking other witch's magic for yourself? But why, why would you do that? Attack your own kind?" Bonnie asked.

Ariana's smile disappeared, her face becoming sober. "My kind? No, I am unique. I am one of a kind. I don't wish to be part of a flock, Bonnie. I want to be the shepherd. And your magic will be the final step towards getting what I want."

"Why me? Why am I so important to what you're trying to do?" Bonnie questioned.

Ariana looked at Bonnie like she was a child. "You're a Bennett, are you not? You're born from one of the strongest witch bloodlines. You also just happen to be one of the _strongest_ witches from the Bennett bloodline. That is why I sent those witches to follow you and attack you overseas; I needed to make sure I wasn't wasting my time going after you. Venice, London. I orchestrated those attacks to see if you were the one I needed to complete the spell. You beat those witches in a heartbeat, and the ones I sent were no novices, I assure you."

Bonnie didn't speak for a moment. Had she really become that strong? She honestly didn't know. But she remembered that it had taken barely any magic to protect herself in those attacks, despite being outnumbered.

"Your magic is powerful, Bonnie… I want it for myself."

Bonnie grew agitated. She might be strong, but Ariana was obviously a witch to be taken seriously. From what she gathered, Ariana had the power of a large number of witches-who knew how many. And Bonnie was supposedly the last one she required? She needed more information. "Why are you doing this?"

"I told you, Bonnie. I want to be a leader, a legend. I want people to know my name, and know that I am the strongest witch. The small number of witches who follow me will be nothing once I have the power of a Bennett witch. Everyone will know who I am, and they will know to cower at my feet. Everyone will bow down to me. Everyone will worship me."

_Forget psychopathic, _Bonnie thought. _This woman is mentally unhinged. It's like she's not even aware of the extent she's going to for power. This isn't right._

Something wasn't adding up though... Why was Bonnie taken and kept hostage?

"Why wait so long? Why keep me locked up for days if I was the one you wanted most? I mean, why wouldn't you try to take my power as soon as you had me?" She asked.

Ariana sighed. "Why it's taking so long is partly your fault. When I finally had you I had to wait until the moon was in perfect alignment with our location in order do the spell and permanently secure my power. But before I could sacrifice you and finally get what I wanted, you had escaped. No matter; the right time will come again. And I assure you, you won't escape a second time."

With that, Ariana flew towards Bonnie and knocked her off her feet.

Bonnie fell to the ground and immediately she felt a sharp pain in her head. Ariana was using strong magic on her. She quickly chanted a protection spell around her and thrust her hand toward the other witch. Almost instantly Ariana stopped moving; she was paralysed. Bonnie stood and moved toward her, still keeping her spell in place. _She's not putting up much of a fight, _Bonnie observed. But then her thoughts were interrupted when Ariana shouted a spell and was released from Bonnie's hold. She had moved out of the way of the protection spell so Ariana was able to use another spell to force Bonnie to her knees. Bonnie struggled against the spell and realised it wasn't as strong as she initially thought. She would be able to break free of it. So she pretended to struggle as hard as she could while Ariana moved closer.

"It's really quite a shame you can't live through this to join me in my rise to power. But your magic is simply too valuable. And there's only enough room in the limelight for one." As Ariana went to knock Bonnie out she broke free of the spell and applied pressure to Ariana's brain like she sometimes did to Damon. She crumpled to the ground screaming. Then Bonnie trapped Ariana's arms to her side and sat on her chest. Ariana looked shocked; clearly she wasn't expecting her spell to break so easily.

"I can't let you get away with this. I won't let you selfishly take other witch's powers and have them suffer in vain," Bonnie shouted. But before she could say another word, Ariana smiled wickedly and her body began to dissolve into hundreds of black butterflies. Bonnie stumbled back and landed on the road; she'd never seen a witch shift into another form before. As the butterflies flew away, Bonnie could only stare. That kind of magic was something she'd never wanted to learn; it kind of freaked her out. But now she saw that she would not only need to perfect the spells she already knew, she would also have to learn the spells she avoided in the one spell book she owned that she'd never opened. It contained spells that were only possible by using insane amounts of magic, and dark magic at that…

_It's non-negotiable. She'll hurt more people, my friends, if I don't protect them._

Just then she remembered about Damon. She ran to his side of the car and opened the door where he still lay unconscious. She frantically checked his pulse; he was still alive, but she figured he'd be out for a while longer. She gently pushed him over to the passenger side and pulled the seat belt over him, then started the car.

She'd secretly always wanted to drive Damon's car. She laughed softly. _Of course. I finally get to drive it... while Damon is unconscious in the passenger's seat._ When they arrived back at the boarding house, she turned off the car and looked over at Damon. He really was good looking... and smart… and funny… and so, so annoying… She reached her hand over and slowly pushed some of the hair away from his face. He began to stir and she quickly withdrew her hand.

"Ow, what the hell just happened?" Damon asked while holding his head.

"Ariana happened," Bonnie replied. "But while you were sleeping on the job I managed to find out what she was up to."

Damon glared at her and then sat up. "So what does she want?"

"I'll explain later, you look like you could use some aspirin right now. Or a blood bag."

Damon sighed. "Yeah, that sounds-" he paused and looked at her.

"Damon?" Bonnie asked. "What's wrong?"

"Did you just drive my car?! Dammit, witch. If it has one scratch…"

Bonnie let him whine on about his Camaro while she sat there trying not to smile. _He was just knocked unconscious by a mental witch and he's worried about his car… _

_Men._

* * *

**I'll try to update as often as I can, but I have a lot of uni stuff to catch up on these next couple of weeks. I might write another chapter and upload it within a couple of days. I'll try my best :)**

Thanks again guys xx


	9. Chapter 9

**Now that the plot is pretty clear, I can really continue moving the story forward and showing the development of Damon and Bonnie's feelings for each other. As you can probably tell, Bonnie is ahead in realising she feels something for Damon, but he'll soon catch up :)**

**Enjoy! And thank you for the support, the reviews are great!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

**One month later**

Damon was on his way upstairs one night when he heard Bonnie in her room, screaming in frustration.

_Uh oh… That doesn't sound good._

Since she had that encounter with Ariana she was putting all her strength into learning and perfecting as many of the most powerful spells that she could, which meant she was using an insane amount of power.

He was worried about her. Her obsession to take Ariana down had gotten to the point where Damon had to make sure she wouldn't use so much power that she seriously hurt herself. He kept checking up on her, making sure she was eating and had enough energy to continue. Bonnie told him he was just being a nuisance but for him it was necessary to keep him sane. When she had first started trying out those new spells, she'd used so much energy she blacked out for the rest of the day. Bonnie thought he was overreacting but he'd been genuinely concerned for her safety; he'd even been tempted to shove some of his blood down her throat, but he knew she would never forgive him. Fortunately she was able to handle a lot more since she started learning them a month ago. But he needed to make sure she was okay, physically and mentally.

She didn't know this, but it had upset him to see her hurt like that. Sure, he'd seen her do some pretty crazy stuff, seen her in some bad situations, but that was different. The threat was usually coming from someone else, not herself. Now he couldn't leave her alone lest she kill herself trying to get more power. He didn't know why it bothered him so much; he was aware of the fact Bonnie was more than capable of defending herself-she knew her own limits. But it didn't stop him from feeling protective of her. She was his friend and he wouldn't let anything happen to her. So as her self-appointed bodyguard he made sure to check up on her every couple of hours while she was engaged in witchy training.

He walked into her room and found her lying on her king-sized bed with her arm over her face. Damon went over to the bed and lay down next to her, his arm behind his head.

"Bad day at the office?" He asked lightly.

Bonnie took her arm away from her face. She'd certainly changed in appearance in the last couple of weeks. It was obvious she'd lost weight in her face, and her eyes were bloodshot. "I'm not powerful enough. I'm stressed because I can't perfect the spells I'm learning and the spells aren't working as they should because I can't concentrate, because I'm stressed."

Damon remained silent so she could vent her feelings some more.

"I'm lying here talking about how hard it is while Ariana is building up her power, building up her magic so she can come for me again." About two weeks ago Bonnie had received a letter from Ariana:

_Save your magic for me, Bonnie; once I've built up enough energy I'll return. Expect a visit in the coming months. A._

The good thing was they wouldn't run into her for a while. Unfortunately, when she came back she would be even stronger, which meant Bonnie had to increase her powers in a short amount of time.

Bonnie lowered her voice. "I didn't actually tell you everything, Damon." Damon turned his head toward her, but still remained silent.

Bonnie continued. "When Ariana came to my house she told me she had special plans for me. Then when she came for me again, she told me the witches she had attacked weren't actually part of her plan. They were just… I don't know, for amusement I guess. She said I was the only one she was after all along because I'm one of the strongest witches to have come from my bloodline-one of the _strongest_ witch bloodlines. She plans on sacrificing me when the moon is perfectly aligned with some location so she can take my power for herself. She wants to be the strongest of our kind."

Damon stayed silent for a few seconds, then turned his head away said, "She sounds slightly insane, don't you think?"

Bonnie laughed shakily. "Yeah, I thought the same thing. But she's powerful; more powerful than I am right now. What if I can't defeat her? What if she beats me? She wants to be superior, dominate everyone else. And I feel as though my body is blocking itself from using magic. Maybe it's a sign. Maybe I can't win this fight... and if I can't beat her she'll hurt so many other people."

Damon sighed. "That won't happen, Bonnie. You're stronger than you think. And this witch is stupid, as well as insane, if she thinks she can beat you."

Bonnie looked at Damon. "How do you know that?"

Damon turned his head back to look into Bonnie's eyes. "Because I know you, Bonnie. I've seen what you can do. Ariana was right about one thing: you are a _powerful_ witch. I've been around for a long time, and I'm telling you: I've never met a witch as strong as you are. And not once have I seen you fail if it meant other people were in danger. I mean, how many times have you saved my ass? After everything I've done, you've still managed to keep me around. You think you're not as powerful as she is right now, but I think it's just because you've put yourself under so much pressure. I don't know how, but you need to wait for the moment when you can just let go of this stress, or whatever is blocking you, and be the kickass witch I know you are."

Bonnie looked at him with a surprised look on her face while he continued to talk. "And I promise you, I will not let anything hurt you. The only way that will happen is if I'm dead. And you will face Ariana and you will beat her because I believe in you. I will be there beside you every second of the way. I know you can do this, even if you don't. You're not alone in this." And he meant it. Every single word. She might not believe him, but he knew that he was speaking the truth. Over the course of their entire relationship he had never believed in her as much as he did now. He knew she would succeed; simply because he believed she could. And he would be right there to watch her win. Bonnie was one of a kind, and she could do anything she put her mind to.

It was in this moment that his perception of her was altered. It was like he was looking at her through different eyes. She was no longer the young girl he first met, the little Bennett witch he was obligated to protect. She was Bonnie, a strong, beautiful woman who was able to stand on her own two feet and withstand everything that was thrown at her. The woman he had come to care about, and protect just because he wanted to know she was safe. All this was running through his mind as Bonnie leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

He'll admit, it was completely unexpected. She'd caught him completely off guard. And he hesitated for about a second before he started kissing her back. They lay side by side, nothing touching except their lips. He refrained from touching her in case she got spooked. His tongue teased her lips and she opened her mouth to let him in. She was a good kisser, he'd give her that. The kiss lasted for about ten seconds before Bonnie pulled away, her eyes wide.

"Oh my god… Damon, I'm so sor-" she started, but Damon cut her off. "Sorry for what? You were vulnerable; you were seeking comfort from a friend. I'm just happy I could lend a hand," he smirked, though inside he was a little shaken. "Look, it's just as if I gave you a pat on the back or a friendly hug. Don't get your panties in a bunch, okay? It's just a kiss. We can forget all about it."

Bonnie's face dropped. "You're right. It was just a kiss. Why am I getting all worked up about this? Thank you. For, you know… comforting me. And forgetting about it."

"You're most welcome, Bon Bon," Damon replied jokily. "Alright, I'm gonna check the house. You get some rest."

As Damon walked downstairs, he touched his fingers to his lips and smiled. Bonnie just kissed him… and he'd liked it. He'd been right: no one was impervious to his charm. Unfortunately, he was becoming increasingly affected by the witch. That kiss had been magical. He wanted to kiss her again. Right now. He wanted turn around and go back to her room and do naughty things to her. But his smile disappeared.

_Fat chance, _Damon thought to himself. That kiss had been a result of Bonnie's vulnerability, no doubt something she saw as weakness. No way would she let it happen again.

_She's your friend, idiot. Don't ruin it._

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**I was so tempted to put more in there, but like I said: it needs to happen slowly. They've only just recently established their friendship, and they might not say it aloud, but it means a lot to both of them. Neither of them are aware of each others feelings yet, so I think this is a good start. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up soon :)**

**Thanks again everybody, read and review away! x**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm really sorry I haven't updated sooner, but I've got a lot of uni assignments due and then I have exams coming up, so I might not be able to update for a while. I've written the next chapter and will put it up as well though, and i'll start on the chapter after that soon :)**

**Thank you everybody for being patient, I appreciate the support! xx**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

Bonnie watched Damon's back as he walked out of her room, and she swore she could feel her heart skip a beat. He'd come to regard her as a friend, and she was happy about that. But she wasn't as happy about their friendship as she was about the fact that she had just kissed Damon… and he had kissed her back. She felt lightheaded. She wanted to do it again. Well, she actually wanted to do more than kiss him, that was for sure. She had never felt drawn this way toward another guy since Jeremy, and she was glad, albeit a little sad, that she had finally moved on from his ghost. Of course, who better to become attracted to than Damon Salvatore?

_And that's all it is_, she tried to convince herself. _It's simple physical attraction._

Yes, they had indeed grown close these past few months, and yes they were comfortable around each other; she felt safe around him, she loved being around him, loved having his attention focused on her. But they saw each other in different lights. He looked at her in a way a brother would look at his sister, whereas when Bonnie looked at Damon she wanted to rip his clothes off, spend all her time wrapped around him and not want to share him. Her reaction to him was because of his appeal, she figured. She didn't have feelings for him, per se- it was more like a high school crush; infatuation with a hot, unattainable guy. She could admit that much.

_But that is as far as it goes, _Bonnie thought to herself. _It's just a fixation, a temporary obsession. It will pass eventually, it's nothing more serious; it's not like I'm in love with him. It's impossible for me to have deeper feelings like that for someone like _Damon_. And he definitely doesn't have those kinds of feelings for me._

Damon had no romantic interest in her, so that would make it easier. After all, he did say their kiss was just her seeking comfort from a friend. That's all he thought of it as, her being in a vulnerable place. And she would make sure that's the only thing he thought toward that kiss-she wouldn't let him find out how much that kiss actually meant to her. Even though she wanted him-wanted to be around him-more than she'd like to admit, she would make sure everything went back to the way it was. He would never find out how much she felt for him.

_Even if it is just a crush_, she reminded herself, b_ecause that's all it is-a crush. It'll be gone in no time._

Bonnie smiled. It really was an incredible kiss… _he_ was incredible. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be experiencing it again, because everything was going to go back to normal…

As if that kiss had never even happened.

* * *

**One week later**

Something was definitely different.

She gave him props for being so subtle; she never would've discovered he was trying to actively avoid her if she hadn't brushed her hand against his one morning this week. They had been looking over some information in one of the spell books and she couldn't help herself-she wanted to touch him, wanted to feel him. He had been so close she'd decided to risk it. He pretty much jumped ten feet in the air. He'd recovered quickly of course; he'd given her his trademark smirk, told her they had more important things to worry about and they could flirt later, and got back to business. But she noticed he'd put at least a foot between them when they got back to looking over the books. Since then she had barely seen him. And she realised she'd hardly seen him the past week-ever since she kissed him.

_He must know I have a stupid schoolgirl crush on him, _Bonnie thought.

However, even as she was thinking that to herself, she knew she was downplaying her feelings for him. It was definitely more than a simple crush. She had developed real feelings for Damon. She wouldn't admit it aloud-that would just make it all the more real. So, for now she simply denied how much she felt toward Damon for fear that he found out, and worse, didn't feel the same way… actually, she knew pretty well how he felt about her; that was made clear by the way he flinched at her touch. He wasn't interested.

So, for the last week she had continued to harness her magic and learn some more effective spells alone. And they had begun to actually start working. Ever since Damon had talked with her-before that kiss-Bonnie had felt like a big part of her magic was now available to her.

However, there had been recent side effects. By using so much magic, learning such dark spells, Bonnie had begun to feel… not herself. She had begun to focus solely on the spell book focused on dark magic-the spells were much stronger. But sometimes when she practiced using the darker spells, channelling her power, she would begin to lose control of her magic-it would overpower her. Or she would successfully perform a spell and it would feel like she needed more magic to use up, needed to feel stronger and let out more power. At one point she made the lamp beside her bed explode-she told Damon she threw a spell book toward the bed and didn't have very good aim. At this moment she was just getting to the last chapter in the spell book when she came across something very, _very_ interesting.

It was the spell Ariana used to take magic from another witch… and it showed how to learn the ability to give it back to the witch it was taken from. It involved a lot of magic, much more so than all the other spells, which were hard enough.

_This is a lot of dark magic, _Bonnie thought. _But if there's a chance I can give all those witches their powers back, maybe they'll recover. I can help them. I _will_ help them._

Bonnie decided then and there that she would do whatever it took to help the other witches whose magic had been so selfishly taken. She read through the spell. In order for the spell to work, the witch needed to be weakened, their own magic drained, and their blood needed to be spilled at their own feet. Finally, when Ariana was at her weakest point, Bonnie would be able to finish her; the magic would then be returned to whomever it was taken from. This was the price for performing such dark magic on another. There was also a bit of chanting involved, but that would be the easy part.

She always knew she would have to take down Ariana, but as she read the spell again and again, she knew it wasn't only about her personal safety anymore. Ariana was harnessing the power of others using dark magic and this was the only way she could be stopped. Fight fire with fire.

The spell was very thorough; it explained that powerful witches, given the right circumstances, could harness the right elemental magic needed to take away a witch's power; of course, it only worked when the situation was explainable. Otherwise, if being taken for selfish purposes, it was necessary to have to harness a lot more, darker, magic.

_So I guess me abusing my power was a necessary situation, _Bonnie mused as she remembered her powers being temporarily 'revoked'.

Bonnie needed to show this to Damon. He might be avoiding her and she might be embarrassed to face him after assuming he knew how she felt about him, but this was no time to behave like a child. She hurried downstairs and found Damon sitting in the lounge on his cell phone and swirling a tumbler full of his favourite bourbon.

"Okay okay, I'll let her know. Bye, Elena," Damon said warmly as Bonnie walked over to the couch, the spell book in her hand. She found herself automatically smiling as she got closer to him.

"That was Elena?" Bonnie asked, although she already knew the answer.

Damon looked at her for a moment before deciding to answer. "Uh, yeah. She wanted me to let you know that she, Stefan and Blondie are going to be coming home soon. Their semester is almost finished so they want to come back and play high school reunion. She asked me to invite you to dinner."

Bonnie frowned. "Why didn't she just ask me herself?" Damon shrugged. "I told her you were coming over to visit so I offered to do it for her." Bonnie and Damon had decided when she first moved in that it would be easier if everyone else didn't know she had been staying at the boarding house.

Bonnie smiled. He was so sweet. Then she remembered why she came down to see him. "Oh, look what I found. You know those witches whose magic Ariana took? It turns out there's a way to reverse it. I can get their powers back for them." She handed Damon the book, and he skimmed over the spell information. He was silent for a while before he looked up at her and said, "Are you sure you can do this, Bonnie?"

She paused. "Sure I can do what? Kill Ariana? Yeah, I'm sure. I need to do this. Besides, you're the one who told me I could do it." Damon frowned. "Well, yeah, it sounded good in theory. And what I said was true; I know you'd be able to beat her. But you're taking the life of another witch, I hope you realise the impact that could have on you. And this looks like it requires an insane amount of energy to perform."

Bonnie stared at him. "I can help those witches. There's no doubt in my mind-I will kill her. Or I'll die trying." Bonnie started to feel magic building up inside and she became dizzy for a second. She stumbled slightly. Damon noticed and stood up. "Bonnie?" He hesitantly put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay? You looked like you were about to faint."

Bonnie regained her balance and said, "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a bit tired I guess. I'm going upstairs for a nap. I'll see you later."

She quickly grabbed the spell book from Damon's hand and walked swiftly upstairs. Once she got to her room she locked her door and threw the spell book down on the bed. She needed to perform more magic, needed to feel more power.

She thought of a spell from the book and immediately performed it without trouble. In one second she had changed form. She had become a small hawk, a bird of prey floating in mid-air. She didn't know why she hadn't learned this before; it was amazing to feel your body morph, feel it change into something completely different and have all this power circulating within you. Then she concentrated on something different and her small body began to dissolve into a hundred small, dark purple butterflies. This lasted for about a minute before she began to lose energy, and came crashing down on the floor in one piece. She could barely stand up, but she managed to drag herself on to her bed and lie down. She smiled. That was the first time she had succeeded in changing form like Ariana had. But she needed more power.

She wanted it. And she wanted to get it fast.

* * *

**I'll put up the other chapter and then that will probably be it for a couple of weeks. But don't worry, once this semester is over I'll be back to continue writing. Again, thank you so much everybody. Read and review away! xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Alrighty, here is chapter 11 as well. I wanted to give you something else to read while I'm away 'studying' haha. This chapter kind of shows what I led into in the last chapter-as Bonnie strives for more power it begins to take over a little bit. This puts a bit of tension between Bonnie and Damon in the next chapter... ;)**

**Anyway, I just want to make it clear that although Bonnie is feeling the effects of dark magic, this will not change her. She is such a strong character, there is no way she would let something like this consume her; she's too smart for that, especially after seeing how the magic affected Ariana. But I felt like I needed something quite serious to bring the tension between Damon and Bonnie to boiling point haha, and we needed to see Bonnie not as invincible as she thinks. With that being said, enjoy the chapter. I'm really excited to write the next one, so maybe it'll be up sooner than I anticipated!**

**Thanks guys! And sorry for the long A/N haha xx**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

**Two weeks later**

Damon sat patiently in his Camaro as he waited for Bonnie to grab her things from inside. The sun was just setting in the distance. For the past fortnight, ever since she had kissed him, he had tried to avoid her. But she had asked if he would go somewhere with her and he couldn't refuse-he wanted to spend more time with her. So here he sat, being a voluntary chauffer for the sake of making her happy.

He didn't want to avoid her, but if he didn't do something to help the situation then he swore he wouldn't be able to take it much longer. He would kiss her again. But he knew he couldn't do that; she'd made it clear she didn't want anything like that from him. And after she had kissed him, it seemed as if she'd thought nothing more of it. She'd done as he said; gone on with everything as if that kiss had never happened. But he couldn't stop thinking about it. Every time he saw her he wanted to throw her over his shoulder and carry her to his bed and never let her leave. But she was his friend. And he would endure his pain as a good friend would, which was why he couldn't spend more time than was necessary around her. The more time he spent around her the more aroused he got, and the harder it became to resist her.

_She definitely doesn't make it easy on me, _Damon thought irritably.

Last week they had been looking through a spell book when her hand had accidentally brushed against his. He had been so tightly wound up being so close to her he'd pretty much scared her with the way he jumped out of his skin. She'd thought nothing of it afterward but that brief touch had tortured him for the rest of the day. Now he was going to be trapped in a small space with her for who knew how long. If he didn't know any better, it was like she was trying to torture him. Of course, that wasn't true; he was pretty sure she was oblivious to all the lingering stares he gave her, the way his eyes would take in every inch of her body. He could barely conceal his attraction whenever he was around her, but at least it had been working so far. He didn't want to lose their friendship over him wanting to sleep with her. But he soon brushed that thought aside.

_It's more than attraction with her. I actually like being around her-and that does not happen often._

The only other female he actually enjoyed being around was Elena. But ever since Bonnie had moved into the boarding house, Damon had been thinking less and less about Elena. Even when she rang last week to see how he was, the tender feeling that exposed itself whenever he heard her voice was no longer there. He no longer felt anything besides warm affection towards his brother's girlfriend, and he was happy about that. For too long he had chased after girls whose hearts already belonged to another. Bonnie was a different case. When Bonnie spoke to him, it was almost like an invitation to bicker, she was so patronising. And hell, she was judgy, and always had to be right. But he loved her company, she didn't let him push her around and he liked it. He would really miss her when she moved out.

He smiled. For the first time in who knew how long, he felt…happy. Content with life as it was right now. Well, apart from the whole Bonnie being in danger crap. His smile disappeared. Ariana had no chance of coming out of this alive. In the slim chance that Bonnie wasn't strong enough to finish her herself, he would be right there to snap her neck.

Just then Bonnie came out of the house and got in the car.

"Where to, ma'am?" Damon asked frivolously. Bonnie giggled, and then said, "Um, do you remember where Ariana was holding me captive?" Damon looked at her. "What the hell do you want to go there for?"

Bonnie sighed. "I'm getting better with those spells but I need a bit more power. You can get power from the elements, but I've only tried it once. I want to try it again out there; there are a lot of trees and stuff out there I can get power from. Plus, it's secluded. No one will disturb us."

Bonnie said that last part casually, but a spark of electricity coursed through Damon. She hadn't meant for it to sound suggestive, but Damon's dirty mind immediately wandered to he and Bonnie making out in the front seat of his Camaro like a couple of horny teenagers. He cleared his throat and said, "Okay, but why did you want me to come along with you? Not that I'm complaining. I'm just curious."

Bonnie spoke hesitantly. "Honestly, I didn't feel safe going alone. When I'm channelling the elements I might be a little vulnerable. I'll feel safe knowing you're there with me." Then she smiled at him. He smiled back and started the car.

* * *

When they got to the abandoned spot Bonnie got out and walked around. She came to a stop near the middle and sighed. "Okay, let's see if I can do this." She closed her eyes and placed her hands in front of her, her palms facing the ground. Damon watched her concentrate as a slight breeze picked up, moving her curly hair against her face.

_She really is beautiful, _Damon thought to himself. Just then he began to take in his surroundings. Bonnie was chanting under her breath and it looked like whatever she was doing was working. The grass underneath their feet began to die, and the surrounding trees were quickly losing their leaves and dying as well. After a few minutes Bonnie took a deep breath and smiled. She opened her eyes.

"How do you feel? Did it work?" Damon asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie replied. "I feel great. Re-energised." Then she looked around. "Oh… wow. Did I do this?" Damon nodded. "I didn't think I had taken that much." Damon could see that the amount of energy she had taken had gone back quite a far stretch. The whole area looked as if it hadn't rained there in years.

She looked back at him. "At least no one comes out here…" Damon scoffed at her. "Don't worry about it. A decent amount of rainfall will probably have it back to normal in no time. Is that all you came out here to do?" Bonnie grinned. "Actually, no. I wanted to try a spell out here as soon as I got more power."

Damon shrugged. "Okay, go ahead. Show me what you've got." Bonnie's grin grew wider and she stepped back. "I'd move back if I were you." Damon smirked. "Well, someone's confident." He moved back anyway, just in case she decided to throw something at him, like a levitating rock or something.

Bonnie moved her hands until they were in front of her face, palms out. She began chanting under her breath and Damon felt the ground shake slightly. Then he watched as Bonnie began to pull fire out of thin air. Her hands were aflame. Damon stepped forward but Bonnie stopped him. "I'm fine, Damon. Don't worry." He was still sceptical, but he stepped back again. Bonnie urged the flames to grow bigger until they were no longer on her hands, but surrounding her, growing so large she could barely be seen. Just as Damon was about to tell her to ease up, the flames grew out of control and began spreading. Because the trees and the grass were so dry and dead it was easy kindling and the surrounding area was soon up in flames. Damon could only just see Bonnie through the flames with his excellent vision. Her eyes were still closed and she was still chanting, trying to make the flames even bigger. She was in serious danger.

"Bonnie!" Damon yelled, trying to get her attention, but she couldn't hear him. She didn't move. Damon yelled out to her again, but he could no longer see her. The flames were intense and the smoke so thick he could hardly breathe. He needed to get her out of there.

As fast as he could, he ran through the flames. He was burned pretty badly, but the flames didn't stick so he was already healing by the time he found her. She was standing in a small circle where the flames didn't appear to be touching her, but Damon was definitely feeling the heat and they needed to get out of there. He ran over to her and shook her shoulders.

"Bonnie! Open your eyes! Bonnie, listen to me!" Damon screamed over the flames. Bonnie opened them, and Damon took a step back. For a second he could have sworn her eyes were black. But it had disappeared-he must have been imagining things. It took a moment for Bonnie to realise what was going on. As soon as she snapped on to what was happening she raised her hands and the flames died down almost instantly. She was silent for a moment and then broke out in tears.

She started to say, "Damon, I'm sorry! I didn't know that would ha-" but she stopped talking for a second, and then collapsed. Damon caught her in his arms. He checked her over, made sure she wasn't hurt, and carefully carried her to his car. He laid her in the passenger seat and gently pushed the hair out of her eyes and wiped the tears from her face. He then took off his jacket and placed it over her, got in the car and proceeded to drive back to the boarding house.

* * *

_What the hell happened to her? _Damon wondered as they drove along silently. _It was like she couldn't control her own magic… I've never seen that happen. _

Bonnie always seemed like the type of person whose moral compass never strayed. However, the more Damon thought about it, the more he began to suspect that that dark magic Bonnie was dabbling in might be starting to affect her. Then he smiled grimly.

_But she probably already knew that-she's not slow. The dizziness, the stress. She knew what would happen all along. She just probably didn't know how quickly all this would catch up with her._

In her determination to be the hero, she was putting herself at serious risk of becoming like Ariana: a crazy witch who thirsted for power. Damon had to make sure that wouldn't happen.

When they arrived back at the house, Damon carried Bonnie upstairs to her room. He took her jacket off so she would be more comfortable, pulled back the covers and lay her down. Once he pulled the covers back over her, he went downstairs and returned with a glass of water and some aspirin, which he placed on her bedside table. He turned to walk out, and then stopped and looked back at her. She had no idea how worried he was for her. He cared about her-a lot, more than he'll admit to her. He didn't want to lose her.

_We'll discuss this in the morning, _he thought to himself. No way was he going to let her get away with hurting herself for the sake of being a hero.

He walked back over and kissed her forehead, before turning off her light and closing her door for the night.

* * *

**Okey dokey, I might start on the next chapter, but it still might be a while before I can finish and upload it. I've got quite a bit of stuff on my plate atm :)**

**Anyway, let me know what you think, if there's any way I can improve the story for you guys. Read and review away!**

**Bless your hearts :) x**


	12. Chapter 12

**Check it out! I was so excited to write it, I ditched my lab report so I could finish it haha. Now be gentle guys, this is my first time writing... a particular type of scene ;)**

**Now, I WARN YOU: it's not too intense, and it's not a... complete... scene. You'll understand at the end of the chapter. I feel like Damon would be a kind of classy lover, especially with Bonnie. So... Yeah. But I decided to reward you all a little for being forced to wait for this for so long. And things will definitely get better further on in the story :)**

**I'll explain more at the end of the chapter. Thanks guys!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

When Bonnie woke up the next morning she thought her head was about to explode.

She had an unbelievable headache, and she couldn't seem to remember what had happened the night before. She felt groggy, but as she turned her head she noticed aspirin and a glass of water on her bedside table. She smiled.

_He's so thoughtful._

Then it all came flooding back to her.

The place she had been kidnapped, the dead trees, the massive flames. Her heart sank. She'd had no idea that would happen. For so long she had wanted to try that spell, wanted to feel so much power coursing within her and summon fire from nothing. And it had felt good-way too good. It had gotten out of hand.

_That's an understatement, _she thought as she crawled out of bed. _If Damon hadn't shaken me out of it…_

Damon.

Bonnie thought she might throw up. In all the effort she was going to for power last night, to have that power in order to keep people safe, she had hurt the one person she wanted to protect the most. She felt tears springing to her eyes but she furiously swiped them away.

_This is no time to feel sorry for myself. I need to make sure he's alright. I need to apologise._

Bonnie quickly downed the aspirin and the water and slowly made her way to her door. She was limited in her speed thanks to her magical hangover, but she moved as fast as she could. But then she paused as she passed the mirror on her wall. She was an absolute mess. Damon must have removed her jacket last night, but she could smell the burnt fabric of her shirt. The bottom of it was singed, her make-up had been smudged all over her face and her _hair_… she picked out a dead leaf and threw it on the ground. She couldn't apologise to Damon looking like this. She decided to take a shower so she went into the bathroom and turned it on.

When she got out she wrapped her towel around herself and went to brush her teeth. The shower had helped her headache a huge amount. Or maybe the aspirin was doing its job. Either way, she was thankful her head no longer throbbed.

Bonnie walked out of her ensuite and back into her bedroom to change when she came to a standstill. Damon was sitting on her bed, head dropped, waiting for her. She immediately blushed. She was practically naked and the guy she had feelings for was sitting on her bed not too far away.

"We need to talk," Damon said uncharacteristically solemn.

Bonnie hesitated. "Um, does it have to be now?" Damon looked up and she gestured to herself. He stared at her for a few moments. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head like he'd thought of something bad. He opened them again and clasped his hands together.

"No, it can't wait. I need to say this now. What you did last night was dangerous, Bonnie. I can't let you do that again."

Bonnie dropped her eyes. "I know. I'm so sorry. I could have seriously hurt you-or someone else. I promise I won't put you in harm's way again because of my own problems." Damon was silent so she looked up at him. His face looked… dumbfounded.

"You think I'm worried about me?! I'm worried about you!" he shouted, and Bonnie jumped. "I don't care if I get hurt. But if you hurt yourself trying to play superwoman, I'm telling you I will never speak to you again." He paused. "You're not fighting Ariana."

For some reason that made Bonnie angry. "What?" She asked quietly, a murderous look on her face.

But Damon clearly wasn't intimidated. He stood up. "I don't care if that bitch is after you, I'll take her out; I don't want you anywhere near her again. I'm going to call Stefan and we're going to take care of it."

Bonnie lashed out. "Who do you think you are? I already told you not to involve the others and I meant it. And you'll have to kill me yourself if you don't want me to kill Ariana, because that's the only way you're going to stop me! I am not Elena, Damon. You can't just bully me into doing what you want so you feel good. I'm strong enough to do this; last night proved that. I'm going to fight her whether you like it or not."

But Damon wasn't finished. "The only reason I encouraged you to do this was because I thought you could handle it, but clearly you can't! The only thing last night proved is that while you're trying to become this all powerful witch, you're not even in control of your magic anymore! And you're hurting yourself, Bonnie, don't you understand that?"

He took a step forward. "The way you stumbled yesterday; the fainting. This magic you're playing with is bad, and you're at risk of becoming just like Ariana-a senseless, psychotic bitch-or worse. You're letting her get the best of you and I won't have it."

Bonnie was furious. "I can control my magic just fine, there's nothing wrong with me. And you have no idea what I can do when I put my mind to it. Don't think you can stop me, Damon. No one is changing my mind on this, not even you."

Damon looked like he was about to blow up at her, then paused. "Not even me? What do you mean, not even me?"

Bonnie threw her hands up in frustration. "Come on Damon, I know you know how I feel about you. You've been avoiding me ever since I kissed you! I get it, you're not interested."

Damon looked at her like he was ready to rip her head off. "The only reason I was avoiding you is because I couldn't be around you without wanting to rip your damn clothes off! Jesus, Bonnie. It's like you've been purposely making me suffer. But… tell me, how do you feel about me? Because I care about you-a lot. I don't want you to get hurt if I can prevent it."

Bonnie was shocked. Damon's sudden outburst had shaken her. But she cared about him too much to let him get hurt for the sake of her own safety. She couldn't stand it if anything happened to him. She took a deep breath and looked at her feet.

"Damon, I care about you so, so much. More than you know. I'll admit, I might have developed real feelings for you." Then her voice grew cold. She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "But my feelings for you will not persuade me to give this up. They are not a factor in this. You can't stop me from going after her-no one can."

Damon looked at her with disbelief. "If you keep trying to go after her Bonnie, I swear to God, I will tie you up and throw you in the basement," he said threateningly.

Bonnie glared at him. "Nothing you say or do will stop me, Damon."

By now they had gotten so close she could literally reach her hand out and stroke him if she wanted to. And oh, did she want to. Their heated argument had made her unbelievably aroused.

They both remained silent. Bonnie looked into his eyes and found him staring back at her, his brows furrowed. Her eyes dropped to his lips. She heard him mutter "Screw it," and then he kissed her.

She didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him as close to her as she could. His tongue teased her upper lip, and she opened her mouth, more than happy to oblige. Her tongue flirted with his, the kiss hungry and passionate.

Damon put both of his hands on the back of her bare thighs and lifted her, holding her up against the wall. While one hand held her up, he used the other to explore under her towel which, miraculously, was still wrapped around her. She wrapped her legs around his waist so she was on him. She could feel him. She knew he wanted this. Bad.

_Oh my god, _she thought to herself as herself as he moved his hand along her leg. _I cannot believe how that argument just ended._

Her thoughts were distracted when she felt his hand stroke her inner thigh. He kissed her neck while her hand was tangled in his hair-her other hand under his shirt-and as he moved between her legs she pulled his head up and kissed him again. She couldn't get enough of his mouth. His kisses were addictive, she wanted more. He began slowly, very slowly, getting closer to where she most wanted to be touched, but as she felt him just brush over it, he pulled his hand away.

Bonnie stopped kissing him. "What are you doing?" She asked frantically, "Why did you stop?"

Damon smirked. "I know I'm talented, but I want both hands for this." She smiled as they resumed their fervent kissing and he carried her to her bed. He laid her down, but as he went to lie on top of her she pulled him down and climbed on top so she was straddling him.

He looked up at her and she met his gaze. The look he gave her made her heart glow. It was not just a look of desire, although that was definitely present. It was a look of tenderness.

In that moment she knew. She couldn't deny it to herself any longer. She was head over heels, completely and utterly in love with Damon. He might care about her, but she knew his feelings didn't measure up to how much she felt for him. And she was okay with that.

He was about to say something but she kissed him before he had a chance. His hands moved along her thighs, but he still left the towel on her.

_He's being a gentleman, _she thought warmly. But that wasn't how Damon liked to play. He liked games. She wanted to satisfy him, wanted to make him happy.

Bonnie began to move against him to torture him a little, try and make him break. Through their kissing she could feel him smile. He knew what she was up to.

"You don't want to play that game, Bon Bon," Damon cautioned affectionately between kisses. "I never lose." She smiled. "You haven't faced me yet, Damon." That appeared to make him want her more, but he seemed to hold himself back.

Instead he moved his hands under her towel and slowly made his way up and down her body, leaving goose bumps everywhere he touched. He moved up her thighs, over her hips and made his way up her waist to her breasts, then back down again. He took one hand out and placed it behind her neck so he could pull her closer; kissing her with intensity and feelings she had never felt before. While his tongue played with hers, his other hand slowly moved down even further and began rubbing her thoroughly.

She softly moaned and he smiled, clearly enjoying her pleasure. But she wanted to please him. While she left one hand stroking his chest, she moved her hand down to where she could feel him.

_He must have more self-control than I thought, _Bonnie mused.

She began to rub him, ever so gently-just enough that he could feel it and get even more aroused. He paused his own rubbing for a moment and opened his eyes to stare up at her. She stared back with her eyes in her heart, and his eyes looked at her mouth with an adoration that turned her on even more-if that was possible. His mouth found its way back to hers, and then began to shower her neck in kisses. His hand resumed rubbing, a little faster this time.

She was beginning to climax. As she climbed she rubbed against him harder-but he seemed content to put her first. Just as he was about to push her over the edge, she heard someone yell, "Oh my god!"

Bonnie hastily opened her eyes and turned her head toward the familiar voice at the door. She paled.

"Caroline?!"

* * *

**Okaaaaaay, so... I wanted Bonnie and Damon to finally admit they felt something for each other, but I didn't want Bonnie to admit how much she felt until Damon finally realises he loves her, which is still a while away (we all know how stubborn Damon can be). In saying that, I'm glad Bonnie is finally at the point where she can say she's in love with Damon! I've been waiting to write that for a while!**

**Also, I wanted these two to finally have a bit of contact, but the reason Caroline showed up was because I want to save the first time they actually, full on, sleep together is when they both know they're in love-I feel like it'll make it all the more sweeter.**

**I'll be a little slow on updates-uni stuff and what not-but I will have a bit of free time in the next couple of days. Who knows, I might even write the next chapter tonight if inspiration strikes :)**

**Tell me what you think, and read and review away! Thank you everybody! xx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Alrighty then, lets continue. I get the feeling some of you might be disappointed with this chapter, and let me explain why: I know you guys want some romance, and although I am sooo tempted to throw in a sort of friends with benefits type relationship, I simply can't do it. I feel like Damon respects her way too much to just sleep with her and not have any serious relationship with her.**

**Also, I know how much we all ship Bamon, but you know as well as I do how Damon is; I mean, look how long it took him to admit his feelings for Elena. He's not going to admit he's in love with Bonnie until he absolutely has to haha.**

**I'm sorry I'm not giving you what you want right now, but I'm sticking by my decision. Anyway, try and enjoy the chapter! Thanks for your support guys :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

Damon lifted his head up and looked over at the door where Caroline was standing. He was speechless. He couldn't believe he hadn't even heard her in the house.

Well… he'd been a little preoccupied.

_This is going to be an awkward conversation, _he thought.

Caroline opened her mouth and then closed it again. Her eyes were averted. "Oh… wow."

Bonnie was still on top of him and her head was turned toward Caroline. "Care, I can explain." Thank god he'd left Bonnie's towel on. To Caroline, it had probably just looked like they had been making out. She didn't see his hand slowly sliding out from underneath it.

Caroline had a look of utter shock on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, then decided against it and instead walked back out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Bonnie turned her head back to look at Damon. He could tell she was heartbroken that her best friend had found out about them like this, and he tried to comfort her.

"Bonnie? It's going to be fine. We're two consenting adults; we weren't doing anything wrong."

Bonnie shook her head. "It's not going to be fine. What if Elena finds out? She'll never forgive me, Damon. I have to make sure Caroline doesn't tell her, or Stefan."

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "Bonnie, Elena made her choice. And she would never be mad at you about this, trust me. Me on the other hand... Anyway, you're worrying about nothing. Besides, they would have found out eventually, might as well be now.

She sighed. "Found out about what? This is the first thing that's ever happened… and of course we had to get caught."

Her hair fell in soft waves around her face and he tucked it behind her ear. "I don't even know what you're worried about. We barely did anything! Vampire Barbie made damn sure of that with her incredible timing." That made Bonnie smile, and he smiled in return.

"Can you stall her until I finish getting changed?" Bonnie asked. "We need to explain to her what this was."

Damon took her hands and held them in his. "Could you explain to _me_ what this was first? Because I feel like I'm behind."

Bonnie was silent above him for a moment and then said, "This was two consenting adults giving in to their mutual attraction."

Damon pondered her statement. _Was it really just about attraction?_

Damon kissed Bonnie's hands and looked up at her. "You know that we're going to have to talk more about this. After all, it'll most likely happen again."

Bonnie smiled. "What makes you think it's going to happen again?" He smirked. "Because you can't resist temptation. Look what would've happened if Blondie hadn't shown up."

She let go of his hands and pulled her leg over so she could get off the bed, and then walked toward her drawer. "We'll discuss what happened later. But…" She turned around and Damon saw worry on her face. "We really need to talk to Caroline. Right now I need to get dressed." Damon continued to lie on the bed until he noticed her silence. He looked over to see her glaring at him.

"What?" Damon asked innocently.

"You're not staying in here to watch the show, Damon," Bonnie exclaimed. "Wait for me downstairs."

Damon grinned. "You sure you don't want some help?" Bonnie smiled shyly and shook her head, so he slowly got off the bed and strolled out of the room, but not without giving her a grin.

* * *

_What have I gotten myself into? _Damon thought as he made his way downstairs-he needed a drink. Hopefully Blondie had left to go to her own house; then he wouldn't have to explain what was going on between him and Bonnie.

Truth be told, he had no fucking idea what was going on. He had told her he cared about her and she had told him she cared about him as well. Then they had almost slept together. Well, they would have been sleeping together right now if Blondie hadn't shown up.

It turned out today was _not_ his lucky day, for when he came downstairs a certain blonde vampire was waiting in the lounge. She turned around as he went for the alcohol.

"What the hell do you think you're doing with Bonnie, Damon?" Caroline whispered furiously, as not to let Bonnie hear.

Damon poured his bourbon into a tumbler and took a sip. "Honestly, Caroline, it's none of your business. Where are Elena and my younger, less handsome brother?"

Caroline snorted. "They're not coming back until tomorrow. I wanted to come back and surprise Bonnie because she said she would be over here. Turns out the surprise was on me."

Damon smirked. "Well, maybe if you'd knocked-"

Caroline waved her hand. "Don't start. And it is my business, Damon. She's my best friend; I'm going to look out for her. Now tell me, what are you doing with Bonnie?"

Damon grew defensive. "What do you mean, 'what am I doing?' Is it not logical to think that two adults can be attracted to each other? I happen to like Bonnie, Caroline."

Caroline scoffed. "Please, the only woman you ever truly cared about was Elena. Everyone else was just for amusement."

Damon smiled. "You're letting personal bias cloud your judgement. Do you really think I would do anything to hurt Bonnie? I care about her, I wouldn't hurt her. Besides, I'd be too scared that she'd kill me. I'm not stupid. If I wanted someone to amuse me, do you really think I'd choose a powerful witch? Come on, Caroline. Think about it."

Caroline glared at him. "What I don't get is: why would she be interested in you?" Damon did nothing but stare at her.

Caroline continued. "I mean, after the history you two have, I'm surprised she would even…" Damon smiled grimly. "You can ask her yourself." Just then, Bonnie walked hesitantly into the room and came to stand by Damon.

Caroline got right to the point. "Bonnie, how can you be shacked up with Damon?" she demanded.

Bonnie sighed. "Care, I know you're confused, but-"

"Confused?" Caroline interrupted. "I'm furious! Out of all the guys you could sleep with, you chose Damon?"

Damon spoke up. "Well, actually, we haven't-" Bonnie interrupted him before he could finish. "We haven't slept together! And quite frankly, Caroline, it's none of your business. We didn't do anything wrong." Damon smirked at Caroline.

Caroline lowered her voice. "Then what the hell did I just walk in on?"

"A moment of weakness?" Damon suggested. Bonnie glared at him and he shut up.

"Caroline, can you just let me explain the situation? We can go somewhere and talk," Bonnie offered. "Please?"

Caroline caved. "Fine, just the two of us," she said, glaring at Damon again. He raised his eyebrow at Bonnie. "Remember to come back so we can chat," he said to Bonnie.

She nodded, and then looked at Caroline. "Let's go." She started walking toward the door and Caroline gave Damon a death stare before following her out.

* * *

Damon listened as Caroline's car left the driveway. He sat on the couch, drinking the rest of his bourbon.

_This is not how I expected things to go when I let her move in, _he thought to himself. Now that he was alone he needed to sort out the situation-sort out his feelings.

He and Bonnie had come as close as it got to having sex.

Sure, he'd cared about Bonnie like any close friend would. But after… recent events, his feelings for her were becoming stronger; more passionate. And honestly… he was freaking out a little. But if what just occurred happened a second time, he needed to make sure he knew what was going on between the two of them.

Damon reluctantly admitted he had developed some sort of feelings for Bonnie. And seriously, how could he not? She was smart, strong, beautiful, and was more than capable of putting him in his place while putting up with his crap at the same time.

But he could not allow himself to let his feelings go any further - he was not looking to settle down. Bonnie had said she had developed feelings for him, but surely they wouldn't be that serious. Even so, he needed to make sure whatever feelings she had didn't go any further. He liked that they had grown to care so much about each other, but in saying that, would sleeping with Bonnie ruin what they have?

He realised Caroline interrupting them might have been a blessing in disguise. There was no way he could sleep with her without the possibility of increasing his feelings for her, or vice versa. He was not ready for his feelings for Bonnie.

_Not that it's that serious… It's not like... I'm in love with her or anything. I'm fine. We're fine._

Nevertheless, having sex with Bonnie would have most likely deepened their feelings for each other, therefore ruining the friendship they had taken so long to build. They couldn't be anything other than friends; it was simply impossible to hope for anything else. It just couldn't work for them.

_Not that I want anything like that with Bonnie… or do I?_

He'd rather keep Bonnie as his friend than risk it all and end up with nothing.

He decided then and there that today's occurrence would be a one off thing. He wasn't willing to risk it. He might want to sleep with her, or maybe even have something more serious, but there was the chance it wouldn't work out. He couldn't disappoint Bonnie like that. And truthfully, he just didn't want to deal with the possibility that she didn't even want him. How serious could her feelings even be for him?

_It's safer this way, _Damon thought as he downed the rest of his bourbon. _No one can get hurt._

* * *

**So, Damon has sort of admitted his deeper feelings for Bonnie, but again, after what he went through with Elena (unreciprocated feelings aren't fun), he isn't prepared to feel so strongly about another woman.**

**Now you know what I meant when I thought you'd be disappointed in the chapter. You're probably getting fed up with me dragging this out, but I'm actually trying to make it as realistic as I can. I mean, these two stubborn ass people are so not likely to tell each other they're in love with them, it's just not how they do things. This is Damon and Bonnie we're talking about! :)**

**So let me know what you think, I appreciate your reviews, but please don't be mean haha. Thanks again :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Have fun reading, guys. I've finished classes so I have a bit of spare time in my hands before exams. I figured I might as well write as much as I can! **

**I loooooovvveeee Caroline. In fact I might write a fanfic about her when this one is finished. Anyway, I just HAD to make sure she was in the story quite a bit. We'll be seeing her for a while :)**

**Enjoy! x**

* * *

Bonnie sat silent in the passenger seat of Caroline's car.

She was not looking forward to this conversation, not looking forward to having to explain what Caroline walked in on. Right at this moment, she resented Caroline a little-just a minuscule amount. She'd missed her best friend more than she realised, but having her interrupt a monumental moment in her relationship with Damon made her a little annoyed. Despite that, she was actually glad Caroline was here. She needed someone to talk to about what happened.

Caroline pulled into her driveway and Bonnie got out of the car.

"Don't worry, my mom is at work. I came around here before I went over to the boarding house," Caroline stated casually. She unlocked her front door and they went inside.

Caroline went over and flopped on the couch, and Bonnie joined her. "Okay," Caroline started. "Please explain to me what the hell I've missed in the past few months. Start at the beginning."

Bonnie sighed. This would be hard. She couldn't tell Caroline about Ariana, so she'd have to be careful with what she said.

"Okay, so like I told you when I first got back, I returned to Mystic Falls because I was a little homesick and I'd done enough sightseeing anyway." Caroline nodded and then waved her hand. "Get to the part where you decided to make out with the worst person in the world."

Bonnie sighed again, this time in exasperation. "Care, I love you, but can you please not start judging me? You always do this; you jump to the worst conclusions, especially when it comes to Damon. So please, for once can you just listen instead of talking about how I made the wrong decision?" She looked down. "I… I need you right now."

Caroline's features softened. "I'm sorry, Bon. I really am. I promise I'll listen to what you have to say. You're my best friend; I'd do anything for you." Bonnie looked up and smiled. "Thanks Care."

Caroline smiled back. "Of course. Now please, continue with the story."

Bonnie clasped her hands together. "Well, I went to see Matt, but he's so busy working full time now we haven't actually been able to hang out, and I, um, decided to just casually drop by and see how Damon was. And I mean he has a lot of free time so I just always went around to hang out-I mean it's better than hanging out home alone. Plus, I missed you guys. Damon was a part of the group, and it was just nice to be with someone who was still around."

Caroline smiled sympathetically. "You should have told me, I would have come to visit!"

Bonnie shook her head. "No I told you to concentrate on studying. Plus it would be easier for me to visit up there, but I've just had so much on my plate." Caroline's brows furrowed. "Like what?"

_Crap, _Bonnie thought. As far as Caroline knew, Bonnie was just hanging around town and laying low until next semester when she started at the college as well. Caroline had no idea that she had been learning all new spells-or the effects they were having.

"Uh… I've just been a little stressed about starting college. I mean, you, Stefan and Elena have been there almost a year already. I'm going to be a freshman. It's a little daunting, so-" Caroline interrupted her. "Bonnie! You so don't need to stress out about that, you're going to do so well! I still can't believe we're going to be moving in together, it's going to be fantastic!"

Bonnie and Caroline had made plans years ago to live together when they left town, and Caroline had already found a great place for them. If Bonnie was positive she would still be around in the coming months, she would be more excited for it. But for now, anything could happen.

"I know," Bonnie said, smiling weakly. "It's going to be great."

Caroline glared. "We're getting off topic! I want to know why I walked in on you and Damon Salvatore having one of what sounds like many of your make out sessions."

Bonnie shook her head. "That's the first time we've ever done anything, Caroline. Well, besides the time _I _kissed _him,_ but that-" Caroline interrupted again. "_You_ kissed _Damon_? When? Why?"

_This is getting hard. I can't tell her I kissed him because he comforted me when I was worried about the evil witch who kidnapped me and is after my powers… This is ridiculous._

Bonnie scrambled for an answer. "Because I… was having anxiety over starting college. Yeah. He was comforting me and I kissed him. Then I told him it didn't mean anything, but Care… It did. It really did. And what you walked in on… Before that I told him I cared about him. And then he told me cared about me too and he would never want to see me hurt, and things sorted of just… happened."

Caroline looked like she was about to say something sarcastic but though better. Instead she asked, "So you guys were making out because you told each other you cared about each other?"

Bonnie smiled. "Yeah, that's about it. But I don't know where to go from here. I mean, we finally have a solid friendship and I don't want to lose him, but… I want more with him. I don't know what to do."

Caroline gave Bonnie a strange look. "How do you feel about Damon?"

Bonnie looked away. "He was there for me when I needed help… with the stress about college. He was sweet; he didn't expect anything from me in return, he just wanted to help me. And he's always there if I need someone to talk to. He's so selfless, and kind, and I love being around him. I love being with him. I… I think I love him, Care."

That was the first time Bonnie had ever said her feelings for Damon aloud. And if she doubts before, she didn't now. She knew she loved him now, and she wanted to be with him. He challenged her, made her feel like a strong, independent woman- someone complete. She didn't know why she hadn't said it out loud sooner. She wanted to tell everyone she knew.

"I'm in love with Damon," she repeated, a smile forming on her face. Just saying those words made her feel giddy-like she was high on nothing but life. Yes, she had loved Jeremy. And she always would. But this love for Damon was different; more intense, a different kind of love. And she wanted him for herself for the rest of her life.

Throughout Bonnie's epiphany, Caroline remained silent. When Bonnie looked at her, she just sat there looking at Bonnie.

"Care? Please say something," Bonnie said.

For a moment she didn't. Then slowly, a grin appeared on her face. "I can't say I'm Damon's biggest fan, but he makes you happy. From what it sounds like, he was there when you needed him the most. I mean, you're pretty much glowing right now and it's so good to see. And I'm so happy for you, Bonnie… But, you guys haven't discussed the situation. You know how you feel about _him_; do you know how he feels about _you_?"

Bonnie considered what she said. It was true; she knew one hundred percent how she felt about Damon. And Damon had said he cared about her… but how much? She figured he couldn't possibly be in love with her, but could she be wrong?

"He said he cared about me… but there was no elaboration. Care, what should I do? Do I tell him how I feel or just leave things as they are? I mean, if I tell him, would he feel the same way? I don't want to lose him, and my feelings might scare him away if he doesn't actually feel the same."

Caroline simply stared at Bonnie. Finally, she said, "I think you're the only one who can answer that. But would you rather not say anything and wonder 'what if' for the rest of your life, or do you tell him, and if he doesn't reciprocate, you know the answer and can move on?"

Bonnie was conflicted. Tell him she was in love with him and risk him not feeling the same way? Or keep their friendship intact, but lose the opportunity to take it to the next level for good?

Bonnie smiled. "I'm going to tell him. If he doesn't feel the same way…" she paused and then looked at Caroline. "Then, at least he knows how I feel."

Caroline grinned. "That's my girl. When are you going to tell him?"

"Tonight," Bonnie answered immediately. She didn't want to hide her new feelings; she felt like a weight had been lifted from her heart. At least, for now. After tonight, who knew how she would feel.

"Caroline, what do you think Elena will think of me when she finds out?" Bonnie asked hesitantly.

Caroline smiled sympathetically. "Does it matter? She's with Stefan, Bonnie. She has no hold over Damon anymore. Plus, you're her best friend, she'll be glad you're happy after losing Jeremy. And from the look of his face when I walked through that door, I'd say he's moved on. Her input doesn't even matter."

Bonnie didn't feel any better. "At least they're not back until tomorrow. I want to clear the air with Damon before Elena comes back. Just in case."

A moment of silence passed before Caroline spoke up again. "I still can't believe I walked in on you guys. Thank god you weren't actually going at it. This would have been a more awkward conversation."

Bonnie started laughing, and soon Caroline caught on, and the two friends sat there laughing about nothing for another ten minutes.

"I've missed you so much Care," Bonnie said after wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Naw, I missed you too," Caroline replied. "It's been way too long. Luckily we won't have to worry about that when we're living together. You'll end up seeing more than enough of me."

Bonnie laughed weakly, but inside her good mood dimmed a little.

_I hope I'm strong enough to beat her, _she thought grimly. But she brushed those thoughts aside as they left for the boarding house. Tonight she would tell Damon she loved him. And he would either say it back or say the opposite. Either way, she was ready.

* * *

Despite Bonnie's plans, things got detoured when they came up the driveway.

Stefan and Elena stood outside unloading the car while chatting with Damon. Caroline immediately glanced over at Bonnie, who was frozen in her seat, with concerned eyes.

"You okay, Bonnie?"

_They came back early._

Bonnie's declaration might have to wait a while.

* * *

**I hope you like it. I'm so glad I can bring a few of the other characters into the story! This is quite monumental for Bonnie, but as usual, things are never easy for her. And being in love with someone as stubborn as Damon would be sure to drive you up the wall. Nevertheless the climax of the story will be coming up pretty soon, i'm just tweaking the storyline a little.**

**Read and review away you lovely people, tell me what you think! Bless your hearts :) **


	15. Chapter 15

**Check it ouuuuuttt, another chapter today! Okaaaaay, so Damon... What can I say? He's... Damon.**

**Now i don't pick favourites, but i just want to thank a reviewer called Vie who gave me a really nice review. I'd also like to thank xXPrincess-of-DarknessxXx for the continued support for this story! Again, i don't play faves, and i honestly appreciate EVERY SINGLE REVIEWER but these two stood out lately, so seriously, thank you.**

**Onwards! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

Damon stood outside as Caroline's car came to a stop. She didn't glare at him as she got out and walked over, so that was a good sign. However Bonnie looked worried… or even nervous. He wanted to take her aside and ask her if everything was okay, but he didn't want Stefan and Elena to know how close they'd gotten. Luckily she hadn't been here when they arrived back at the boarding house.

When Elena had walked through the door ten minutes ago, for a second he'd thought he was imagining things. But she explained that they decided they couldn't wait until tomorrow, so came back a day early to see everyone. He had to admit, it was good to see her. She was one of the closest people to him, and he'd missed his friend. It helped that it was much easier to be around her now that he wasn't pining over her. He'd moved on, and it felt good.

He'd even missed his baby bro. Stefan had walked in soon after, serious as ever, and Damon was glad he was back. Hopefully they'd stay until they started back up at college. Bonnie would be joining them when they left, and he wanted her to stay in town for as long as she could.

Damon was frowning at the prospect of her not being around as he watched her greet Elena and Stefan. Bonnie gave Stefan a friendly hug before Caroline came over to chat with him, and then she and Elena were hugging and telling each other whatever else had happened since they last talked. Damon knew Bonnie was worried about Elena finding out about… whatever it was that was happening between them, but he'd make sure no one else found out what happened.

His frown grew deeper as he glanced over at Stefan. He wished he could talk to him about this. Usually he wasn't into the whole touchy-feely brother bonding, but he needed to talk to someone. He needed someone other than himself to convince him he was wrong in thinking he had feelings for Bonnie. Because although she cared for him, he was not willing to bet it was anything more than affection-and of course, crazy attraction. Plus, he was a pro at picking up on unreciprocated feelings, and the way Bonnie was avoiding looking at him was telling him all sorts of things. He knew he was making the right decision in stopping things before they went any further. She was probably getting ready to tell him the same thing. Well, he was going to beat her to it.

While Stefan and Elena went upstairs to freshen up, Caroline went to ring Matt to come over for dinner and Bonnie was in her room (that no one knew she was using). Damon took the opportunity to go up and speak to her about what was going on.

He knocked on the closed door. "Come in," Bonnie called, her voice muffled. Damon walked in as she was zipping up her dress for dinner. Her hair was wet from her shower she just had. Damon watched the zip move slowly up the side of her body, and then blinked.

_You're not here to watch her get dressed, idiot. You're here to let her know this isn't going to work out. You need to beat her to it._

"Hey," he said as he came to stand in the room, shutting the door behind him. "Can we talk?"

Bonnie avoided looking at him as she began brushing her hair in the mirror. "Uh, does it have to be now?"

He could hear her heartbeat quicken slightly. So she was nervous.

_Probably worried about how I'll react to the rejection, _he thought bitterly.

"Yeah, it does. Listen, I don't think you and I should be anything other than friends." His heart sank a little as he spoke.

Bonnie stopped brushing her hair and looked at him through the reflection in the mirror. "…What?"

Damon stepped forward. "Look, what happened… it was great. And, I mean, I care about you. But I think we're better off leaving things as they are."

Bonnie put her hands on the drawer and exhaled. Damon thought she was about to yell at him for beating her to the punch, but he surprised her by turning around and smiling.

"You're right. We have a good friendship now; we shouldn't ruin it with something like that. It just wouldn't work out."

Damon smiled, but inside his heart sank a little lower. By the smile on her face, she had been prepared for this.

_I guess I was right. She was going to call it off all along._

"Great," Damon said a little too brightly. "And don't worry; no one needs to know about what happened. I'll see you downstairs for dinner, Bon Bon. Cute dress by the way," he smirked as he turned to leave.

Bonnie stopped him as he opened the door. "Damon?"

"Yeah?" Damon asked.

"I wanted to tell you, I'm moving out." Damon froze. "What? Why? You can't go home, you're not safe."

Bonnie shook her head. "I'm going to stay with Caroline. She asked me if I could keep her company while she's back in town because Liz is going to be busy. Don't worry; I'll put a protection spell on her house. I'll be fine."

Damon was about to argue that the only way she could be safe was if he was with her, but she had made it clear she didn't want or need his help anymore. So instead he shrugged and said, "Fine by me. I'll see you soon," and walked out of the room.

* * *

Elena was walking past as Damon reached the bottom stair. "Hey," she said warmly.

She too had changed into a nice dress for dinner-a pale blue halter neck that was a different style to the strapless dark purple dress Bonnie was wearing. Nevertheless, she looked beautiful as always.

"Hey yourself," Damon said. "How's college life? Been to any ragers lately?"

She laughed. "Of course not. I'm a hardworking student now that I don't have to worry about imminent death every day." Ever since the originals had moved to New Orleans, life had been quite.

_Apart from that crazy witch, _Damon thought.

Elena looked at Damon. "But how are you?"

Damon smiled. "Living the life of a bachelor. You know how it goes. Life couldn't be better."

As he said that, Bonnie and Stefan were walking downstairs chatting, Caroline following behind in a peach coloured baby doll dress. Bonnie looked at him and gave him a quick smile before passing him and heading to the lounge with Caroline.

"Hey," Stefan said, coming to stand next to Elena. She absentmindedly entangled her hand in his. Stefan looked at Damon with an expectant look on his face.

Damon smirked. "Don't worry brother; I'll be on my best behaviour." Stefan raised hi eyebrow at Damon. "Oh really?" Damon sighed. "I got this."

Just then the doorbell rang. Elena went to open the door and Matt walked in. After greetings were exchanged, everyone went into the dining room for dinner.

* * *

Damon lived up to his word; he was a perfect gentleman the entire evening.

Stefan and Elena spoke about the new apartment they were looking at moving into, while Caroline explained all the social groups she was involved in. Matt caught everybody up on what had been happening in Mystic Falls, while Bonnie described the sights she saw overseas. Damon was the only one who didn't really contribute to the conversation. He was too busy watching Bonnie the entire night. Not once did she look at him.

He began to think he'd done something wrong, but he didn't have the faintest idea what.

* * *

After dinner, Stefan and Elena retreated upstairs and Matt left-he had the late shift at the Grill. Damon had gone to the bathroom, and as he came back downstairs he saw Caroline rubbing Bonnie's shoulder. When she saw Damon she quickly dropped her hand.

"I'll be outside," she said to Bonnie as Damon walked over. She turned to him. "Thank you for your hospitality, Damon," she said politely.

"Uh, anytime," Damon said, confused. Since when was Blondie nice to him?

As Caroline walked outside, Damon looked at Bonnie. Something was different. She looked… tired. Drained.

"You okay?" He asked, genuinely concerned.

She looked away from him. "Yeah, long night I guess. Listen, Damon, I want to thank you for helping me… with everything."

He frowned. "You know you don't need to thank me. You can come to me for anything."

She smiled weakly. "I know." Her smile disappeared. "I'd better get going, Caroline is waiting."

"Do you need help with your bags?" Damon asked. He wanted to keep her here as long as he could.

"They're already in the car, Care grabbed them. But thanks again." She looked up at him. "Goodnight, Damon."

She walked out the door before he could even say it back.

* * *

**I'm just warning you, there will be maybe one or two chapters after this that focus on their feelings for each and then guess who comes back to put a damper in Bonnie's plans? Things will come to a head soon.**

**Read and review away :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Arrgghhh, I know you guys must be hating me right now for not putting in a bit more Bamon action, but I wanted them to be separated for a while in order for a certain devilish vampire to realise his stupidity :)**

**Right now Bonnie is heartbroken, but we'll see her back to the strong witch she is in a chapter or two!**

**Enjoy, everybody!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

_At least I'm taking it better than Caroline, _Bonnie thought miserably.

She sat comfortably on Caroline's couch and watched her pace the lounge. Caroline was fuming.

"That… that selfish bastard!" Caroline shouted, and Bonnie sighed. She had been going at it for about an hour now, shouting profanities and cursing Damon's name to no end. Bonnie sat there listening; it wasn't making her feel any better. No amount of cursing would be able to soothe her heart right now.

Damon didn't want to be with her. He just wanted them to be friends.

She tried to get her mind off him, but right now it was impossible. This was the first time in a while they had been apart, and she already missed him terribly. She was still numb from their conversation. She had been ready to tell him she was in love with him, that she wanted to be with him, but it had been made clear that he didn't feel that way about her. Still, a part of her felt otherwise, but she knew she was only torturing herself.

Tears started forming in her eyes and she let them fall. Caroline noticed and stopped pacing.

"Oh, Bonnie, I'm so sorry," she said sadly as she came to sit next to Bonnie on the couch. Caroline wrapped her arms around her and pulled her in for a hug. "Here I am taking my anger out on Damon when I should be comforting you."

Bonnie shook her head against Caroline's shoulder. "I'm fine. I just… I thought he felt something for me. I guess I was wrong in hoping for something more."

Caroline snorted. "He's an idiot, Bon. He doesn't know how good he could have had it." She pulled away and looked at Bonnie. "It's going to get better. You're strong enough not to let this get you down for long."

Bonnie looked at Caroline. Was she strong enough? It felt like a ton of bricks had been dumped on her. But it didn't matter. As far as Damon knew, Bonnie was just his friend he happened to have kissed a couple of times. And he would never find about what she had planned on confessing to him in case it made him weird around her. She couldn't have him as a lover; she didn't know what she'd do if she lost him as a friend too.

She thought back to the dinner. It had taken every ounce of self-control she possessed not to break down between courses. She noticed him looking at her once or twice, but she made sure not to look directly at him. All it would've taken was one glance and she would've had to leave the table.

"Bonnie?" Bonnie was so busy caught up in her own thoughts she didn't hear Caroline talking to her. "I'm sorry, Care. What did you say?"

Caroline smiled sympathetically. "I said what's going to happen now?"

Bonnie averted her eyes. "Nothing happens. Damon is my friend. I said that if he didn't feel the same way then we'd remain just that. Friends. That's it."

The two friends sat in silence for a moment. "I'm not complaining when I say this," Caroline started after a few minutes. "I mean this is going to be awesome, we can practice living together, and of course you can stay here as long as you want. But… why did you ask if you could stay at my house? I could have just as easily come to stay with you."

Bonnie paused. _What do I say?_

At that moment she decided to tell Caroline what was going on. She was her best friend and she hated lying to her, especially since she was letting her stay at her house, and Bonnie was sick of holding it all in after everything that had happened. "Caroline… I wasn't completely honest about why I came back to Mystic Falls."

Caroline stared at her. "Okay… why did you really come back?"

Bonnie told her everything. The attacks overseas, asking Damon for help, being kidnapped by Ariana and the witches whose powers had been taken, and the spells she was trying to learn. She left nothing out; she even told her about the incident with the fire spell. When she finished, Caroline was speechless.

"Oh my god," she said quietly. Then she raised her voice. "Why did you not tell me, Bonnie? I could have helped you! And instead you went to Damon? Why?"

Bonnie shrugged helplessly. "I didn't want you to worry and try to involve yourself. I knew Damon would be the only one who would help me without trying to stop me, or protect me while I had to sit on the side lines. This is my problem; I don't want those I love getting hurt because of me."

She thought about what she just said. When Damon had first started helping her, he had trusted her to be able to protect herself, but as they'd grown closer he'd become more protective, more involved in her safety.

_Oh, how quickly things change, _she thought. When she'd told Damon she would be staying at Caroline's he'd been worried about her safety at first, but then he'd just shrugged and left. Apparently he wasn't as worried as he made out to be.

Suddenly she was furious. She felt… played. Like he'd decided her wanted her, telling her what they did would happen again, then got bored with the decision and tried to let her down easy, saying they should just be friends. He was hot and then cold with her. He told her he cared about her when he knew that she cared about him too, and then acted indifferent toward her once he no longer wanted anything from her. He was selfish and arrogant. Now she remembered why they hadn't been friends for such a long time. He didn't think about how his words and actions affected those around him, or how he would treat her like an invalid at times - as if she couldn't look out for herself. She wanted to go to the boarding house and slap him across his smug face. She still loved him with all her heart, nothing would change that now; but right now she wanted to kill him, bring him back to life and then kill him again. She was that mad.

For a second something strange happened. She felt a build-up of magic inside her, and then as quickly as it came, it disappeared.

_Weird,_ Bonnie thought.

She heard a strange sound come from Caroline, and when she looked around she froze. Caroline was across the other side of the room with a shocked look on her face, the whole lounge a mess. Some of the furniture was overturned and there were pages from books spread everywhere, ripped from their binds. Bonnie was confused for a moment. Then she realised she was the one who had done it.

"Oh no… Caroline, I'm sorry!" Bonnie cried.

Caroline slowly made her way over. "What was that, Bonnie? Your eyes… they turned black for a second. Then everything just started flying everywhere!"

Bonnie was shaking. "I… I don't know. I was thinking about Damon, and then I just… I got so angry. And I felt this rush… I guess my emotions got the best of me."

Caroline came closer and placed a hand on Bonnie's arm. "I've never seen that happen when you get emotional. Is this a side effect of the magic you've been using?" Bonnie looked away.

Caroline put both hands on Bonnie's shoulders and made her look her in the eye. "Bonnie, this is dangerous. You could hurt yourself, and I'm worried. Does… Does Damon know about this?"

Bonnie glared at Caroline. "He's seen what I can do, yes. But that's all he needs to know; this is none of his business. We might be friends but I'm handling this on my own now. I'm fine, Care. I'm just still learning to control it. I can handle it. But… promise me you won't tell anyone what happened."

Caroline looked at Bonnie with worry in her eyes. "Fine, I won't say anything. But if there's anything I can do to help, please, tell me."

Bonnie smiled. "I will, but I'll be fine. Trust me. I know what I'm doing." Caroline didn't look convinced. "I'm going to go freshen up, okay?"

Caroline reluctantly let Bonnie go so she could leave. When Bonnie got into her room she lay down on the bed. Usually when she used magic, doing something like that would tire her out… but she felt even stronger after using it. She was more powerful now.

_Good, _Bonnie thought to herself. _I'm going to need it._

It was only a matter of time before Ariana showed her face again.

* * *

**So the reason I wrote this chapter the way I did is because, not only do I love the friendship between Care and Bonnie, but I wanted there to be a reintroduction of the effects the magic is having on her, and I wanted Bonnie to be open with Caroline about this, simply because she knows about Damon. So I feel that if she knows about one secret, she might as well know about the other. That's just how Bonnie is with her best friend-she doesn't really want to keep things from her now, especially because Damon isn't there right now and she needs someone to talk to.**

**Okey dokey, I don't want to give anything away, but i'm pretty excited to write the next chapter for you guys! It leads into the climax of the story, so should be good :)**

**Thanks for reading, guys. Read and review away! x**


	17. Chapter 17

**Alright, here we go. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I love Stefan so much, i wanted him to be the one who helped Damon with this because he knows him so well :)**

**Have fun! x**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

**One week later**

Damon was miserable.

Bonnie had left a week ago and he felt like it had been years. He'd texted her at least once a day with some teasing comment, but no reply. He'd called her a couple of times to see if she was doing okay with her magic, but they had both gone to voicemail.

He didn't know what was going on. She was fine at the dinner last week and now it was as if she'd dropped off the face of the earth. The only way he knew she was alright was because Elena had gone to lunch with her a couple of days ago at the Grill. He had been tempted to tag along to see her, but he'd thought better. Obviously he had done something to make her not want to talk to him, so he'd give her some distance-for now. If she kept this up, he'd be paying her a house visit.

_I could use a drink, _he thought as he made his way downstairs. All this worrying had made him thirsty.

Stefan was sitting by the fire reading when Damon walked into the lounge, and looked up from his book.

"Hey," he said as Damon poured himself a glass. Damon looked up and raised his eyebrows in greeting.

"Care to join me for a drink?" Damon asked as he raised his glass toward him.

"Uh yeah, sure," Stefan replied and set his book down. Damon poured him his drink as he came to stand next to him.

"Where's your better half this fine evening?" Damon asked as he took a sip. Stefan smiled as he took the glass from him. "She went to go catch up with Matt and the girls for dinner."

Damon frowned. "Bonnie went? Are you sure?" Stefan glanced over at him. "Yeah, why?"

Damon shook his head. "Just curious." Damon had called Caroline this morning asking where Bonnie was; she'd told him Bonnie had a slight cold and had been in bed.

_Well, well, well, look who's turned into quite the liar._

Stefan laughed again. "Damon, you're never just curious. Is there something you want to talk about?"

Damon remained silent as the two brothers stood side by side, watching the fire. Damon thought back on all the other times they'd stood here together, all the conversations that had taken place between them, in this very room, over the years. They didn't always get along, but he knew he was able to tell his brother anything and he would gladly listen. And now was as good a time as ever to talk about what was bothering him.

He cleared his throat. "Let's say - hypothetically – I've been trying to get a hold of someone, but they're avoiding me." Damon paused. "And I don't know why."

Stefan glanced over at him again. "So Bonnie's still not talking to you, huh?"

Damon glared at Stefan. "What makes you think I was talking about -?"

Stefan cut him off. "I'm not slow, Damon. I know Bonnie was staying here before we got back. I found one of her spell books in the upstairs rooms, but I hid it in case she didn't want anyone knowing she'd been staying here. I also know at dinner last week I caught you staring at her almost the whole night, yet she didn't look at you once. So you don't need to lie to me, okay? I'm your brother. I see things. And hear things." Damon looked at Stefan questioningly and he sighed. "I heard you making calls to Bonnie yesterday, and the day before that."

Damon sighed in frustration. "It's not what you think. I was helping her with something and I let her stay here so she would be safe. Don't ask," he added when Stefan opened his mouth. He soon closed it and let his brother continue.

"And everything was fine, and then she was upset one night and I was trying to comfort her and she... kissed me. And I tried to forget it, Stef, I really did. But… she got to me. That little witch actually managed to wriggle her way in and…" He stopped and Stefan looked at him expectantly. "And?" he asked.

Damon sighed again. "We almost slept together alright? We actually would have succeeded if Blondie hadn't walked in." Stefan waved his hand and pointed at Damon. "Wait, so you and Bonnie… were going to sleep together?" Damon glared at Stefan again.

"Keep up. Yes, alright? But I don't know what happened after that. She got… weird. I assumed she thought what we did was a mistake, so I told her nothing else would happen again. And now she's avoiding me; she's stopped talking to me completely. Women… usually they're so easy to read. But Bonnie… she's another story altogether."

Stefan looked upward with a knowing smile and then looked back at Damon. "So, what brought you to the point where you were going to actually sleep together? Seriously, I didn't even know you guys were friends now, let alone… this."

Damon was silent for a second, and then spoke. "She told me she cared about me." Stefan didn't say anything at first and Damon looked at him. He looked deep in thought.

"What did you say to her?" he finally asked.

"I told her I cared about her too," Damon answered immediately. Stefan looked at him.

"Do you, though?" he answered back and Damon threw his hands in the air.

"Of course I care about her, more than I'll ever admit to her though." He smirked. "She's Bonnie. But she's... an amazing woman. She's one of the strongest people I know, Stefan. Seriously, the things I've seen her do..." Stefan watched his brother carefully but didn't say anything. Damon continued.

"God, doesn't it just annoy you how much she talks back? It's like I'm fighting with myself half the time, and she has to have the last damn word in everything. And it's so... frustrating how selfless she is, like to the point where I want to strangle her and tell her to actually look after herself instead of worrying about everyone else. I mean, really. And you what pisses me off the most?" Stefan raised an eyebrow, but again, remained silent.

"The way she does it as if it's nothing; like she's invincible. She's not, and she's so naïve sometimes. It doesn't matter how much I try to tell her, she's so damn stubborn… but who am I even kidding? I love that about her. I even love it when she threatens me, because I know she'd actually do it too. She's not afraid of me; she's way too smart for me to get anything over her, and I can't even do anything about it. She is one of a kind. And I miss her… I can't believe it, but I'm actually miserable without her around. And it's only been a friggin week! Why won't that woman just talk to me, at least tell me what I did wrong? I'm going crazy without her here."

Stefan actually had the audacity to laugh at him. "I thought that over the years you would have learned enough about yourself to realise what's going on right now."

Damon glared at him. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Stefan grinned. "Are you listening to yourself right now? Isn't it obvious?" he asked.

Damon was confused for a second.

And then everything sort of hit him at once. "No way…" he murmured to himself.

_I can't believe it, _Damon thought to himself_. _

He couldn't actually believe he'd been so stupid, denying how he felt for her this whole time. He'd been so sure up until now that he'd managed to prevent himself from developing feelings for her that he'd just made it even easier for his heart to open up to her.

A smile crept across his face as he thought of the woman he had grown to care so much about. She was without a doubt the most infuriating person he'd ever had to put up with. And he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. In that moment he loved her so much he would give up his immortality if he could so they could get married, have children, grow old together. He wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anything, and the thought of being without her was one he couldn't bear to think about.

"I… I'm in love with Bonnie," he finally said to Stefan, who was standing there with a satisfied smile on his face.

"So what are you going to do about it?" he asked innocently.

Damon furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't even know how she feels about me. I can't just go up to her and tell her how I feel."

Stefan laughed again. "Love really has made you blind, hasn't it?" Damon sighed and glared at Stefan. "Now what are you going on about?"

Stefan raised his eyebrows. "Are you kidding me? Come on, Damon! Think about it. You've been around women enough to know what they're feeling, even Bonnie. Think. What did she say, what did she do when you told her you just wanted to be friends?"

Damon thought back. "Well, she didn't say anything… because I pretty much told her I didn't have any feelings for her before she could."

He wanted to slap himself upside the head and knock some sense back into himself. Usually he was spot on in reading women's feelings, but his radar had been way off with Bonnie-the woman that mattered most. Thinking back now, he should have noticed the signs. The looks he'd sometimes see her giving him, the way she avoided looking at him at the dinner and why she hadn't talked to him at all since he told her they should just be friends. Just be friends, after she admitted to him she cared for him-had feelings for him. He remembered the look on her face when she'd let her feelings show for a second. She'd looked defeated... heartbroken, even.

He had ignored her feelings because deep down he was afraid he would be faced with rejection again. But by worrying about himself, he had failed Bonnie. He had pushed away the woman who loved him because he was too selfish to take a leap. He should have just admitted he had feelings for her in the first place instead of trying to stop them, and he wouldn't be in this mess: trying to come up with a way to get back the woman he loved after pretty much throwing her feelings back in her face. He didn't know what she saw in him. But he'd make sure he made it up to her for the rest of her life.

He looked back at Stefan. "Have they finished at the Grill? I need to talk to Bonnie. I need to apologise and beg her to give me another chance. I can't lose her, Stefan."

Stefan smiled warmly. He had his phone in his hand. "Elena texted; they just left. Bonnie should be home by the time you get there."

Damon looked at his baby brother. He placed his hand on his shoulder and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "Thanks."

Stefan raised his eyebrows. "Anytime, brother. Now go and win over the woman of your dreams," he said as Damon let go of his shoulder and ran toward the door.

* * *

Damon had never felt so happy in his life. Not even when he loved Elena did he feel this high. It was unbelievable. He just hoped Bonnie still loved him enough to give him a chance at something real.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to beg Bonnie for a second chance, for a surprise was waiting for him outside. As he went to get into his car he felt a sharp pain in his head, making him see black dots, and he became dizzy. He saw a woman walking toward him out of the shadows.

"Hello, Damon," the woman said as his eyelids began to close. "I don't believe we've met."

The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the woman saying, "I am Ariana."

* * *

**I just want to explain a couple of things.**

** First of all, you might think Damon has been slow in this, like he should've snapped on to this sooner. But I felt like, because he's been hurt so many times before, it wouldn't be surprising that he'd need a little push in admitting he's in love. And he was super worried about whether Bonnie felt the same way, but as Stefan said, he was blinded. The guy was totally ignoring his own feelings and as a result he ignored Bonnie's feelings that should have been so obvious to him. Even Stefan figured it out in the short time he was back (he is so smart, of course i'm a little biased though!) :D**

**Second of all, this is where the issue of Ariana starts to come to a head. She's taken Damon. Not a smart move. Bonnie will definitely be out for blood now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I loved writing with both Stefan and Damon. I especially love it how they know each other so well they can pick up on certain things :)**

**Read and review, tell me what you thought! Thanks everybody! Bless xx**


	18. Chapter 18

**New Chapter! Sorry I left the story at a cliffhanger and then didn't update haha, but worry not, the story continues!**

**I have exams all this week and then I'm on holiday so I'll be able to update more again soon :)**

**As always, read and review. But most importantly, ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

Bonnie was alone when the letter arrived.

The envelope floated through the open window of her room and came to land right next to her bed. As soon as Bonnie saw what it was she was overcome with a feeling of dread. She'd only seen a black envelope like this once before; when Ariana had sent her first letter.

Slowly she stood up and grabbed the envelope, then went to sit on the comfy chair in the corner of her room. She could see the full moon was just beginning to rise outside. She opened the letter and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

_Bonnie,_

_I assume your time was well spent while I was away. But now I have come to collect. As I know how stubborn you are, I made sure to get insurance of your co-operation this time. _

_So let me be perfectly clear: you will surrender yourself to me without trouble by the time the full moon reaches its highest point, and I will promise the safety of your handsome friend. Try anything, and he will not make it to tomorrow. _

_I would hate for anything to happen to him; he really is quite handsome. Even more so up close. __But of course, you already know that. _

_I expect you can find your way to me. I'll be expecting you._

_Best,_

_A._

Bonnie was overcome with such a strong hatred, it took everything in her not to destroy Caroline's house.

_She is dead, _Bonnie thought as she set the note on fire in her hand. Ariana had taken Damon. That crazy bitch really was an idiot. Kidnapping the man she loved? What a stupid move. That would be her undoing.

Bonnie was so furious, she wanted to rip that witch's head off. This would be the last time Bonnie needed to worry about Ariana's crazy threats, the last time she would wake up wondering if she would survive the day. This was it. Tonight, Bonnie would make sure it ended. She didn't know if she would live, but at this moment she didn't care. All that mattered was Damon was safe and Ariana was gone for good.

But for now, Bonnie needed to concentrate. For now she would bottle up her emotion, store them away until she could unleash them, and use them against her target.

Bonnie pondered over what Ariana had said in her letter. _I expect you can find your way to me._

Bonnie thought for a second and then closed her eyes and started chanting. Immediately her mind cleared and a vision appeared-the location of Ariana. She had taken down her concealment spells, just as Bonnie had thought, and was now able to be tracked.

Long ago, a spell like this would have depleted her magic, but now it was nothing. She had become much more powerful, but she knew she would need every ounce of strength to incapacitate Ariana, perform the spell needed to return the taken magic, and then finally end her.

As the vision came more into focus, Bonnie was struck at how familiar the location seemed. Then it hit her.

It was the place where, so many years ago, lives had been taken in cold blood… The place where Bonnie had taken Jeremy's lifeless body to bring him back to her… The place where the magic of one hundred dead witches was located.

_Of course; a location with enough magic to help perform a particularly strong spell, _Bonnie thought to herself.

The time had come. She figured she would have felt nervous-afraid, even. But she felt nothing but determination to save the person whose life meant more to her than her own, the person who had been there for her when she needed him. She would repay him tonight. If it cost her own life, it was an acceptable sacrifice in her eyes. She couldn't live without him, and she wouldn't; it was as simple as that.

She had a problem, though. In all the time she had stayed at Damon's, she had never required her own car. She had been content to let Damon drive her around, and so her car was still at her own house, all the way across town. She looked out her window; the moon was higher in the sky. She had less than an hour to get all the way to that house all the way out of town.

Then she had an idea. She closed her eyes and concentrated again, this time on her form changing, morphing into something smaller, more compact, and able to fly. When she opened her eyes again, she was the small hawk she had first changed into when only just learning the spell. Memories flowed through her mind of the talk Damon had given her when he'd told her how powerful she was, right before they'd kissed for the first time.

_If anything happens to him… _Bonnie thought, but then stopped herself.

No, nothing would happen to him. She was strong now, strong enough to protect her love, just as he protected her. Tensing, she lifted herself up with her powerful wings, flying out her window and into the clear night sky.

* * *

When Bonnie was a few hundred feet from the site she changed back into her regular form and began walking toward the house. She thought using magic for the time that she was a hawk would have taken something out of her, but no. In fact, she felt even better. It felt great to exert some of the powerful magic that had built up within her, and she was grateful she could now handle so much.

As she finished walking through the last line of trees before the house she heard voices.

_Ariana's minions, _Bonnie assumed.

She'd forgotten about them. If she was going to free Damon and kill Ariana, she didn't want the distraction of having to worry about more threats. But she reconsidered. Thinking how easy it was to detain them overseas, it would be nothing to stop them now she was so much stronger. It was just a matter of choosing the right time to attack.

She broke through the trees and walked up to the flat patch of land in front of the house. It felt like centuries since she had last been here. As she walked further she spotted twelve people standing in a circle. In the middle stood Ariana. She smiled as she saw Bonnie.

"Bonnie, so nice of you to come," Ariana said. She beckoned for her to come over, but Bonnie remained still.

"Where is he?" Bonnie demanded. Ariana's smile dropped and she began to look bored. "Your vampire friend? I have no use for him. He's over there."

Bonnie turned, and in the darkness she could just see a figure lying on the ground. Her heart almost stopped. She ran over to Damon and crouched down to check that he was alive. He was, but he definitely wasn't moving. "What did you do to him?" Bonnie screamed. She pushed his hair out of his eyes with a shaky hand.

Ariana smiled again. "Vervain; he should be down for quite some time. I know what you're thinking: why not use magic? Well I did, but I figured it would be a waste of magic to continue putting him in pain. He's not what I want."

Bonnie's fury returned, but she was relieved that he wasn't in any pain. However, she was worried: Damon regularly ingested vervain. It might have knocked him out for the moment, but he would wake up earlier than Ariana realised. Bonnie didn't want him interfering in what was her fight alone. But judging from how still he was, she'd given him quite a lot. He might not even wake up during what was about to happen. At least, she hoped he didn't. He could get hurt, and she didn't want him sacrificing his safety on her behalf.

Bonnie stood up and looked at Ariana, who was still smiling. "Well, come now. The moon is about to align," she said. Then her smile disappeared and she thrust out her hand. Bonnie's head began to scream at her, and she realised Ariana was trying to make her black out. But Bonnie was stronger now. Using her arms, she threw up a protection spell that would keep her head safe from Ariana's magic. Ariana glared at her, but before she could say anything Bonnie started chanting.

Ariana stumbled and fell to her knees, temporarily dazed. Now was the time to attack. Using magic she now possessed, she chanted quickly again, this time aiming her magic at the twelve surrounding witches and warlocks. They had begun to approach her but now remained still as she bound them together with her magic. While Ariana was just standing up she continued chanting and her minions all fell to the ground, unconscious. If the spell had worked correctly, they wouldn't remember anything relating to this whole thing again.

Ariana had a look of pure hatred on her as she looked at Bonnie, who was now standing directly across from her. "You _will_ surrender yourself to me. And I _will _have your magic." As she finished speaking, fire began rising from the ground so they were surrounded. Bonnie tried to extinguish it, but it wouldn't disappear. "This circle is spell bound, ignorant witch. There is no putting it out." Then Ariana jumped at Bonnie, unsheathing a knife from her waist Bonnie hadn't noticed.

_I need to deplete her magic, _Bonnie thought.

She tried to focus on a way to stall Ariana. She felt a rush of power, and decided to direct it toward her. An invisible wall of magic slammed into her and she fell back, but not before shouting something. Bonnie began struggling for breath, feeling like the air had been forced out of her. She fell to her knees, willing herself to inhale, exhale. Meanwhile, Ariana was getting back up and started walking toward her. She raised her knife to strike, but Bonnie was quick to recover. In a second her body had changed, becoming a hundred dark purple butterflies.

She still found it weird that she was able to control so many at once; it was like her mind drifted between the forms. She flew around so she was on the opposite side of the circle and changed back. Ariana looked at her with a grudging respect. "Look who learned some new tricks. I'm glad you built up so much power for me to have." She wiped at her nose which had started to bleed.

_Maybe the magic is taking more out of her than she's letting on_, Bonnie supposed.

Ariana then looked upward-the moon was now directly above the circle. It was now or never. "No more wasting time."

She flew at Bonnie, using her magic to make her move faster. Bonnie had her own spell to perform, and she began chanting the first words that would start it. Ariana had come closer and Bonnie raised her hand to put up a protection spell, a sort of force field, that wouldn't let her get any closer. But Ariana was stronger than Bonnie thought. She began chanting and her spell began to weaken. Bonnie could feel a physical pull on her power; Ariana trying to take her magic.

Bonnie needed to concentrate on chanting so she used a spell on Ariana to paralyse her. She was still trying to get to through the protection spell and froze, unable to move. Bonnie slowly inched closer, continuing to chant. She was almost finished when she got too close to Ariana. She had managed to shake the paralysation spell with a substantial amount of magic and was close enough to cut Bonnie's wrist with her knife. Bonnie screamed, and having lost her concentration, lost her protection spell. Ariana moved forward and used the spell she used earlier to cause a massive migraine for Bonnie.

The pain was unbearable, and Bonnie couldn't stop screaming. She dropped to her knees as Ariana came to stand in front of her, her knife in her hand. This magic was a whole lot stronger than what she'd used before.

_She's channelling the witches, _Bonnie thought desperately. She could no longer do that after sabotaging their power. _Why are they helping her? She's abusing their magic._

She couldn't protect herself. Ariana was still chanting while Bonnie was frozen with pain. She couldn't do anything to save herself-or Damon. After defying Ariana, she'll probably kill him just to spite her.

Ariana finished chanting, the flames growing higher around them. She forced Bonnie to lie on her back and kneeled above her, a crazy look on her face. "Your time is up, Bonnie."

Bonnie could only watch as Ariana raised her knife above her heart.

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**Let me know what you think! Bless you all, you magnificent people :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Another chapter! You guys are soooo going to hate me haha, but this chapter is necessary.**

**Try and enjoy it! :) xx**

* * *

Damon felt like he'd been hit by a truck.

He left his eyes closed and began to massage his temples, trying to at least decrease the pain. It would go away soon enough, but right now he didn't even want to move.

He finally opened his eyes and stared upward.

_Stars? Where the hell am I?_

He only just took notice of the stones that dug into his back. _What happened?_

It took a minute, but everything came flooding back. He loved Bonnie, he knew that now. He'd gone to see her-no, he didn't get there. He'd gone outside… and Ariana had been waiting for him. Damon began to panic. She'd taken him. That bitch actually had the balls to kidnap a vampire. But it wasn't himself he was panicking for. What happened to Bonnie? Did that crazy witch go after her too?

He sat up, but must have done it too quickly because his head began to pound again. Only after he'd blinked several times to get his bearings did he notice the flames. They were thick and joined up to make a circle. He slowly stood up to get a better look.

_What the hell is going on? _Damon thought, running a hand through his hair in frustration. He had no idea where he was, and no doubt something magical was probably going on in that fiery circle. He looked around and tried to get a sense of where he was. Then he noticed the two-storey house at the top of the property.

"The witch house?" He said aloud in confusion. He turned back around to look at the fire, and that's when he saw two figures. They looked like they were fighting. One of them started screaming.

_Bonnie._

But he needed to be sure. He stepped closer to the flames, and saw Bonnie on the ground, moaning in pain. Ariana was kneeling beside her with a knife. He didn't think; he just needed to save Bonnie. Using speed he never knew he had, he ran through the fire and tackled Ariana. Thankfully, the flames didn't catch on to him, but he had a bigger problem to deal with now. Ariana wasn't physically stronger, so Damon was able to restrain her, and she looked winded from him taking her out. But he couldn't stop her from talking-or, well, chanting. She said something and Damon felt the same pain he had a few hours ago. He let go of her and held his head, the pain unbearable. As he fell to his knees, Ariana stood up, a satisfied smile on her face.

"I'll finish you later," she stated, before turning toward Bonnie. But she wasn't there. Damon couldn't see where she'd gone. Then he heard her speak.

"Don't touch him," she said quietly to Ariana. The pain was still excruciating, but Damon managed to look up at her.

Bonnie looked like a warrior. She held Ariana's knife that she'd dropped when he tackled her, and her eyes were black as night. She looked like a force to be reckoned with.

Ariana looked stunned. "How are you even standing? That magic should have knocked you out completely… no matter. I have more where that came from." Damon saw her raise her hand… and nothing happened. Bonnie remained the same, the look of rage still in her eyes. Ariana's features portrayed a look of pure shock. "What the-" But she didn't get to finish. Bonnie must have used some sort of magic on Ariana, because she screamed and fell to the ground, her head in her hands.

Bonnie walked toward her, her face giving nothing away. "You've abused your gift; the witches are no longer helping you, and you've depleted enough of your own magic not to have an effect on someone as strong as me. You have betrayed your kind and taken what isn't yours. Now I am returning it." Her eyes still dark, she leaned over Ariana and grabbed her hand from her head and cut it. Ariana screamed with fury.

"You can't kill me! I am more powerful than you will ever be!" She pushed upward and Bonnie lost grip of the knife. Ariana began chanting as she pushed Bonnie to the ground. Damon moved forward to intervene but it turned out he didn't need to. Bonnie regained possession of the knife, and with a calm look on her face, pushed it upward-into Ariana's chest. Bonnie chanted as Ariana looked down, a look of disbelief on her face. Bonnie rolled over so she was on top of Ariana and pushed the knife in further.

"No. I was to be the strongest," Ariana whispered as Bonnie removed the knife. A few moments later, Ariana was no more. As Damon watched, a light shimmered over Ariana's body, and then disappeared.

Damon looked at Bonnie, who was now standing, but still chanting. She was sweating and looked pale compared to a minute ago. That last spell must have worked, but it had obviously taken a lot out of her; he needed to get her home. He couldn't wait to tell her he loved her, but now was not the time.

"Bonnie, it's done. You can stop now. She's gone." But Bonnie continued chanting as if she didn't hear him. He walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. Big mistake.

Bonnie turned around and looked at him with such dead eyes he wasn't sure it was her for a minute. That was the last thought he had before his head felt like it was exploding. It was as bad as when Ariana had done this to him. The flames surrounding them then began to rise and he was suffocating in the heat.

"Bonnie, it's me! It's Damon, stop!" His brain felt like it was on fire, and he had never felt so weak in his life. In that moment he could see his life flash before his eyes. The flames still continued to grow around them.

He tried once more to get through to her before he blacked out. "Bonnie, stop! You're hurting me! It's Damon, please… stop…" He was feeling dizzy. He wouldn't be conscious for much longer. But as he felt his legs weaken the pain in his head subsided, the flames died down. He hesitantly looked up at Bonnie. Her eyes had now returned to normal, and she looked even worse now. She looked sick.

"…Damon?" she whispered. She had tears in her eyes. Damon nodded. "It's okay. I'm going to take you-" but she never heard him finish. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed. Damon managed to catch her before she fell.

He moved her hair out her face and felt her forehead. She was burning up. He needed to get her home right now. He pulled out his cell phone which was, miraculously, still in his jacket pocket.

"Stefan?" he asked when his brother answered his phone. "I need you to pick me up. I'll explain on the way home."

* * *

It had been two days since Ariana's demise. When Stefan had arrived at the witches' house, he'd stared at Damon with Bonnie unconscious in his arms, but hadn't pushed him. Damon ended up telling him everything, and then Stefan told Elena who told Matt. But they promised to keep it secret and all visited to make sure she was okay. Bonnie probably wouldn't appreciate it, but he figured he owed them an explanation to why their friend had been asleep for two days straight. Meredith had come around to check on her and she said Bonnie was fine; she was just recuperating from how much that magic took out of her. So he'd remained by her side at the boarding house, in her old room, since he brought her home. He liked to listen to her steady heartbeat. He could listen to it forever, it was hypnotising to him. Stefan came in and talked him every couple of hours and promised to watch her while he would shower. He didn't want her to be alone. Elena came in a lot too. He could tell she was dying to find out what was going on between him and Bonnie; he was thankful Stefan had kept it to himself. He'll tell her later, when Bonnie was awake.

On the third day of her recuperation she woke up. Damon had been holding her hand and squeezed it gently as she looked around the room. "You're at the boarding house," he said to her before she could ask. She looked at him for a few seconds and then a look of grim determination appeared on her face. "Damon, I'm so sorry I hurt you." He smiled. "You don't have to apologise, Bonnie. I understand." She smiled weakly, but then pulled her hand away from his and looked away. He looked at her, confused, but then smiled. He'd been waiting forever to tell her.

"Bonnie," he said quietly. She hesitantly looked at him. He continued. "I've been such an idiot these past few months. I… I don't even know what I was thinking. I should have been honest with you, because now I'm finally able to tell you what I should've told you the night of that dinner." He paused and she continued to look at him. "Bonnie… I'm in love with you. I love you so much, I can't believe it's taken me this long to tell you…" he would have continued, but the look on Bonnie's face stopped him. "Bonnie?" he asked.

She took a deep breath and looked away. "Damon… we can't be together." Damon stilled. "What?"

She looked back at him. "I care about you… but I just can't do it. I'm sorry." She looked like she was trying not to cry.

Damon shook his head, still looking at her. "Why are you doing this?" he asked after a few seconds. She wouldn't look at him, so he took a guess. "Because I'm a vampire?" Bonnie shook her head, but she still wouldn't look at him. "I just don't want to hurt you, Damon."

Damon was confused. "Hurt me?" Then he clicked. "The witch house. When you used magic on me. You're afraid you might hurt me with your magic again? No, you won't. Those were… special circumstances. It won't happen again." This time Bonnie looked at him.

"Don't you get it? You were right, I can't control it. And I can't be around you if I could hurt you _again_. I won't risk it. You won't change my mind on this, Damon. I'm sorry, but I can't be with you. Please, let me be alone."

Damon sighed. "Don't do this."

"Please, leave." Bonnie pleaded.

Damon looked at her, his heart in his eyes, but she turned around so she was no longer looking at him. He stood up and left the room, not noticing the tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Stefan was the only other person home, and he greeted him outside the room door. He didn't say anything, but the look on his face told Damon he'd heard his rejection.

"Join me for a drink?" Stefan asked. Damon raised an eyebrow at him, refusing to show his heartbreak. "I thought I was the only midday drinker?"

"Special circumstances," Stefan replied simply. Damon was secretly grateful Stefan was willing to comfort him as he followed him downstairs. The fire roared as they entered the lounge.

Stefan poured the bourbon into two tumblers and came to stand next to Damon in front of the fire.

Minutes passed before either of them spoke again. "She just needs time," Stefan said quietly. Damon scoffed. "Yeah, okay. I'll just ignore the fact she didn't actually say anything on how she feels about me." He paused. "Maybe you were wrong this time, brother." He took a gulp of his bourbon. Stefan smiled at him sympathetically.

"She just needs time to get her head clear. You know I'm never wrong. You two are perfect for each other."

But Damon wasn't so sure about his brother's instinct this time. He simply remained quiet and watched the flames, allowing his heart to begin the process of mending once again.

* * *

**BE GENTLE haha. Poor Damon. The reason I wrote it like this is because I want to give Bonnie the opportunity to face her problem. She'll be getting a bit of help next chapter from someone, I'll let you guess who :)**

**But yeah, she needs to take care of this issue before she can finally commit to Damon, otherwise the guilt will just hang over her and it wouldn't work. So, as soon as she's done with that... :D**

**I had to include another brother bonding moment. Stefan has been there for Damon with all of his heartbreak, and this is no different. Damon loves Bonnie with all his heart, but he's a bit tender right now. Bonnie better have a bloody good speech coming :)**

**Read and review away everyone! x**


	20. Chapter 20

**Jeez, i'm so sorry for the slow update. Usually i update a bit quicker than this but i had a bit of writers block. But all better, i'll be able to finish the story off soon enough :)**

**So we're officially caught up to the present day, and this chapter is set two weeks after the last chapter. That means Damon and Bonnie haven't seen each other since she told him she didn't want to be with him. Btw, i tweaked the second chapter a little bit. The reason for this is because i wanted their distance apart to be a little longer, and i wanted Bonnie to have a little time to herself before she had her little epiphany. But it's just a minor tweak, don't worry!**

**Now, Bonnie is such a strong character, she doesn't think she needs help sometimes. But she's about to realise that getting help might not be such a bad thing, especially in this case. I'll explain more at the bottom, so for now enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

**Present Day**

Bonnie sat in her lounge after her shower, the bright morning sunlight shining through her open windows, a beautiful breeze ruffling her hair. After Ariana had died, her spell had worn off which meant Bonnie was free to return to her house, her life. She was finally free.

But it didn't feel like it. She was a prisoner of a different kind now.

It was only ten o'clock in the morning, and usually Bonnie would still be asleep. But she found that since she had turned down the man she loved, she could no longer sleep very long. She had terrible insomnia and it was beginning to show on her face. As well as her eyes being red and puffy from crying herself to sleep, dark bags now took residence beneath them. This only added to her pale skin and sunken in cheeks. She no longer had much of an appetite either. She'd tried to cover up with make-up but it didn't make much difference these days.

Caroline was the only person who knew what was actually wrong with her, so she was the only person Bonnie allowed in her house-she'd already been around about five times this week. She loved Elena with all her heart, but she didn't want her finding out about her and Damon. There wasn't any reason for her to now, anyway; they were done. Still, every time she would ring asking to come around, Bonnie would say she was busy preparing for college and was out of the house. She wasn't really lying about the college part. When she wasn't able to sleep she would walk around her room, throwing things in boxes that she would take when she moved in with Caroline-only a week away now, and only another two weeks after that until she started her first semester as a student.

Only one positive thing had come out of all of this. Jamie had called Bonnie a few days after her fight with Ariana to thank her; Sarah had made a 'miraculous' recovery and come out of her coma, her magic returned. Jamie also told her about the other witches who had woken up with their magic back. Bonnie was happy to know the spell had worked and she had helped others by taking down Ariana, but she had asked Jamie not to tell the witches how it had come about or who was responsible for saving them; she took no victory in having to end a life. Jamie was happy to do whatever she wanted. She had returned her little sister to her and felt indebted to her, no matter how much Bonnie tried to dissuade her.

Also, once Ariana had died, she hadn't heard any voices; perhaps they had done all they needed to stop a serious threat on the world. It was a little bittersweet; they were quite handy as a warning signal. But she supposed she really didn't need them anymore.

It took just over a fortnight before Elena finally got fed up with Bonnie's excuses, for that morning while Bonnie sat quietly in the sun she heard someone knocking. She figured it was Caroline checking up on her for the sixth time this week, so she went to the door. She opened it without looking and instead found Elena standing in front of her with a determined look on her face.

However, that look soon disappeared and was replaced with a look of shock. "Bonnie? What's wrong? You look sick." Bonnie tried to smile, but couldn't and simply moved aside to let Elena in. "I'm just tired, is all. I haven't been sleeping well."

Elena walked in and then turned to face her. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Damon, would it?"

Bonnie swallowed. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Elena smiled sympathetically. "I'm not completely oblivious. He's been moping around the house for the past two weeks; around the same time you decided not to visit anymore. He keeps pestering me about you as well. Of course, I can't answer him because you've been avoiding me." Bonnie looked down guiltily.

"I came to check up on you, and now I see I had good reason to. Please tell me what's wrong, Bonnie," Elena said, a worried look on her face. "I'm your best friend. I can't stand to see you so down. I want to help. Did… Did Damon do something to hurt you?"

Bonnie took a deep breath. "No… In fact it's the other way around. I hurt him."

Elena dragged Bonnie back over to the couch and sat in the sun. "What, how?"

Bonnie looked down. Elena was her best friend; she hated keeping secrets from her, even if it was about Damon. She had waited long enough to talk about this with her.

"Um… He filled you all in on everything that happened with that witch, Ariana?" Elena simply nodded and waited for her to continue.

Bonnie closed her eyes and began to tell Elena what happened between her and Damon. "I knew he was the only one who would help me while not trying to stop me. I was only trying to keep everyone safe from my own dangers. And I'm sorry for not telling you, but I needed to make sure she didn't go after the people I loved. I needed to make sure she stayed here where I could take care of this problem myself. And Damon… he stayed by my side the whole time, even when I thought I didn't need anyone. And you know how much we just didn't get along, but I swear… it's like he changed right before my eyes. My perception of him changed entirely and… honestly, he reminded me of how Stefan is with you." Elena gave a small, knowing smile but let her continue.

"I've been trying so hard not to get close to anyone. Ever since Jeremy…" Elena put a hand on Bonnie's shoulder and she took a deep breath before she kept going. "I didn't want that to happen again, to get these feelings for someone else when they could just… be taken away like that. But ever since this whole thing started, I didn't even realise that's exactly what I was doing all along. I was developing these feelings and half the time I wasn't even aware of it… I…"

Elena squeezed Bonnie's shoulder. "You're in love with him, aren't you? You're in love with Damon."

Bonnie could only nod as a few tears escaped her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. She was still looking down, but Elena remained silent after that so she risked a look up at her. Elena had a look of amazement on her face.

"Wow. You and Damon… I never would have guessed. Actually, now that I think about it, you two are perfect together. He needs someone who doesn't take his crap. And he would definitely challenge you, make life more interesting if that's even possible. You balance each other perfectly. But… why didn't you tell me? This is so huge!"

Bonnie shook her head. "I couldn't, Elena. You're my best friend, but this is _Damon _we're talking about. You two have history. I honestly just didn't think you'd want to hear it. And if you did… well, I didn't know what you could have possibly said to me."

Elena looked at Bonnie seriously. "I chose Stefan, Bonnie. And I will always care for Damon, but never like that, not to the extent you feel for him, trust me on that. We may have history, but that's all it is: history. I could never feel for him what I do for Stefan, and I know without a doubt it really is the best decision I ever made. And in no way should you feel worried about I think about your feelings for Damon. If he makes you happy, then it doesn't even matter what I think. But I can honestly say I'm so excited that you've found someone who makes you feel that way after losing Jer." Her voice was tinged with sadness at talking about her brother but she continued.

"And if these past two weeks are any indication, I'd say Damon is so incredibly hung up on you; he hasn't even threatened to kill anyone because he's so depressed," she added lightly. "He's so in love; it's incredible. Both of you deserve someone special in your lives, and it can't get more special than the two of you. And i'm sincerely glad you found each other. But… if you two are so crazy about one another, why on earth did you leave?"

Bonnie looked away and a few more tears fell. "Bonnie?" Elena asked hesitantly. "What happened?"

"I hurt him," Bonnie whispered. "I used my magic on him because I couldn't control it and I hurt him."

Elena was silent for a moment. "So?" she asked. Bonnie looked at her with disbelief.

"Are you listening? I gained more magic than I could control and I hurt him, Elena! I can't let that happen again. So the best thing for him is to just stay away from me! I don't want to hurt him again. This is different from what you've seen me do. If I lose control of my emotions for even a second I could kill him."

Elena gave Bonnie a level look. "You mean you're putting him in the same amount of danger as he puts you in as a vampire? Or even the same amount Stefan puts me in on a regular basis?" Bonnie looked at her, confused. "What? No, that's completely different."

"No, it's not," Elena said. "Bonnie, my boyfriend is a vampire. A vampire with bloodlust issues no less. But you know what? I trust him anyway. Because I know he loves me enough that he won't put me in danger. We've had… so many obstacles in our way, just as you and Damon will, but it's so worth it in the end. That's what happens when you love someone, Bonnie. You work through the problems, because they're worth it. You know that." She smiled sympathetically.

Bonnie was crying. "I can't control it. It's too strong for me to-"

"You can," Elena said harshly. "I am your best friend, Bonnie, and I will not let you lose happiness again. You've lost Jeremy, and you've finally managed to move on from him, only to walk away from it because you think you're not strong enough."Elena took Bonnie's hands in hers. "I love you so much, Bon. I want you to be happy. If you ever think you can't handle this magic alone, then you call me or you call Caroline. You will learn to control this, because you are one of the strongest people I know. Every time we've needed help, you've been there. It's time we made up for everything you've sacrificed for us. We won't let anything happen to you again, Bonnie. We'll help you learn control, just like we did with Stefan... Caroline. It's our turn to help you. You're not alone."

_You're not alone. _Damon had said that to her once, before they'd kissed for the first time. She missed him; she needed him just about as she needed air, she didn't want to live without him. Elena was right. It took Bonnie this long but she knew now; she never had to be alone. She might think it was the only option, but it wasn't. She didn't need to carry this burden by herself. She could learn to control her power. It would take time, but she had more confidence now. It was so much easier to handle this when there were people around her, supporting her. Caroline, Elena, even Stefan. They'd all been through something like this and had been there for her at one time or another. And the person she wanted most in her life, he'd been there for her in all the most important ways. He certainly had his faults, and so did she, but that's what made them so special together. She had to get him back. She needed to apologise and ask him to forgive her for her horrible treatment of him.

But Damon was not one for forgiveness… well, it didn't matter. She had to try. If he decided he no longer wanted to be with her, then she would not bother him again. She just needed to try anyway.

Elena saw the change in Bonnie's features, and then suddenly Bonnie's eyes were fiery, filled with determination. "Where is he? I need… I need to apologise, I need to-"

"He's alone at the boarding house," Elena said warmly. "Good luck. And no matter what happens, we're here for you. We'll help you through this."

Bonnie stood up and pulled Elena into a fierce hug. "Thank you so much, Elena. I needed to hear that."

"You're very welcome," Elena said earnestly as Bonnie pulled away from the hug. "You deserve to be happy. Go, I'll watch the house."

She smiled nervously before running out the door.

_I can do this now, _Bonnie thought uneasily as she got into her car. _I can finally get through this-I can control this. _

_For Damon. _

_I just hope I'm not too late._

* * *

**Firstly: So Bonnie has realised that although the power she possesses my be a threat to the man she loves, the people around her will help her no matter what. And this is what she sort of failed to grasp at the beginning; she always thought she needed to keep her problems to herself. I think it's quite interesting how in this fic it's Bonnie worried about the safety of Damon, when usually it's he or Stefan who is usually worried about their danger to the people around them. So I wanted Bonnie to be able to see it in a different light, see that she isn't the danger she thinks she is.**

**Secondly: Bonnie finally opened up to Elena. I loved their friendship before Elena found out she was a witch and Bonnie started being used by everyone. I felt like Bonnie needed to be smacked into shape by the person she thought would judge her the most, but would turn out to be behind her 100%. Their friendship is no longer strained over the whole Damon business, and some people might think Bonnie came to her senses a little quickly, but i think it was needed. Bonnie had two weeks to stir over her regrets and deep down she knew if she had the help she has now been offered she'll be okay. Luckily, Elena was there to give her a push. So we'll find out how Damon reacts to her showing up on her front door step in the next chapter.**

**I hope you enjoyed, again sorry for the wait (and sorry for this novel of an authors note but i love to explain my intentions haha), read and review away, and thank you all for you support towards this fic! I should be finishing it off at about 22 chapters, so not long to go :) x**


	21. Chapter 21

**Alrighty, new chapter! Sorry about the slow updates!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

* * *

Damon was reflecting on the day Bonnie showed up when Stefan came in. He saw Damon on the couch and purposefully walked over and sat next to him.

"So, you plan on leaving the house today?" Stefan asked innocently.

Damon sighed and took a sip from the tumbler he was holding. "No."

Stefan smiled. "So you're just going to stay in the house until Bonnie comes to her senses and takes you back?" Damon laughed bitterly.

"Don't hold your breath. She made her decision, and she's stubborn. Trust me; no one is changing her mind any time soon."

Stefan opened his mouth to say something, but paused when his phone vibrated in his hand. He looked down at the screen and a wide smile appeared on his face. Damon noticed.

"Would you look at that, a genuine smile? What's got you so chipper?" Stefan looked up at him with a mischievous smile.

"I've just been waiting to hear from my girlfriend, brother. She just let me know her success at something she had to do this morning. I'm heading out to meet her," he added as he started walking out of the room. Before he went around the corner, he turned back to look at Damon.

"You have a good day, Damon." He smiled warmly before reaching the door and leaving.

* * *

Ten minutes later, he was still sitting in the same spot when the doorbell rang. As he walked to the door, his mind wandered to Bonnie. He wondered what she was doing right now, if she was okay, if she was thinking about him too. When he opened the door it took a second for him to realise who was standing in front of him. He thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but no; here she was, standing right in front of him.

He was a little taken aback at her appearance. She was as beautiful as usual, her wavy hair, now much longer than when she first showed up, framing her round face. However, her face now looked a little thinner and she had bags under her eyes. She had tried to hide her sunken cheeks and dark eyes with make-up, but he could definitely notice it. He immediately felt guilty.

_This happened because of me. She's hurting herself because of me._

Though his thoughts were painful, he kept a cool look on his face. He made sure to look his best simply out of habit, and he knew while she was looking at him she was wondering why he didn't seem so… affected. But unlike her, he hurt himself on the inside. Well, metaphorically at least. No matter how much he drank, it couldn't kill him-he was a vampire, after all.

"Elena isn't here," he said coolly, deciding to speak first. He could hear her slightly quickened heartbeat. She blinked.

"Um, I'm not here to see Elena," she said hesitantly. She nervously brushed a loose curl away from her face. He wished he could touch her hair again, run his fingers through it. But he knew that wouldn't be happening any time soon.

"Well… Stefan just left. And if you're looking for Blondie, she's not here either…" he said confused. He had no idea why she would come over here unless it was important. They'd been avoiding each other for over two weeks now.

She exhaled slowly before speaking again. "Actually, I'm here to speak to you." His eyebrows rose. "Is something wrong?"

She looked confused. "What? No, why would you think something is wrong?" He laughed bitterly. "Let's just get to why you're here. No point in reliving my rejection." She looked at him, guilt written all over her face.

He shouldn't have said that. No matter how heartbroken he was over her rejecting him, he knew she had her reasons, and he still loved her with all his heart. He didn't want to make her feel bad for trying to protect him, even if she _was _being ridiculous.

She cleared her throat. "Damon… Oh jeez, I planned this out in my head on the way over, but my mind has just gone blank. But I'll try my best anyway." He remained silent, and she took it as encouragement.

"Elena came over to my house this morning. I told her everything: how we got… involved, how I decided..." she cleared her throat. "And you were right, of course; she was… happy for us. But then I explained to her why I couldn't be with you and she… she yelled at me."

Damon didn't know Elena had gone to Bonnie's this morning. When he saw her earlier she said she was going to run errands in town. Then he remembered Stefan earlier.

_She just let me know her success at something she had to do this morning. _

Success? With Bonnie? By yelling at her? He was getting more confused by the second, but he forced his attention back to Bonnie. She continued talking.

"Well, not really yelled. She gave me some harsh truth. I needed to hear it though. Anyway, she pretty much told me what you had been telling me all along: that I don't need to be alone with my problems. All this time I thought this issue with my magic was something that I could only take care of by myself but… Elena made me see it doesn't need to be that way. That it's okay that I need help sometimes, just like Elena did, and Stefan and Caroline. And… I shouldn't have to avoid being around you because I think I might hurt you…"

Damon didn't say anything, his mind was in overdrive. Bonnie began talking again, rushing everything out that she needed to say. Tears were slowly forming in her eyes.

"You tried to convince me I wouldn't hurt you again but I was so scared I ended up hurting both of us. But I love you Damon, and because I love you so much I made it seem so much harder than it needed to be. I was afraid I wasn't strong enough to control myself, my magic. And I realised that it's my love for you that will protect you. It's strong enough that I won't hurt you, I can't hurt you. No matter how strong it gets, knowing you're there is all I need to help control it. I'm ready to be with you, Damon. And I am so sorry for taking a while to realise it and for everything I put you through, I'm sorry that after everything your heart has been through, I hurt you again knowing how hard it was for you to let people in. I just… I don't know what else I can say. I hope you can forgive me, I hope we can give this a chance. But no matter what you decide, I just want you to know that I'll love you anyway, and I'll be anything you want. I'll never bother you again if you want. I just want you to be happy and-"

Damon cut her off when he pulled her toward him and placed his lips on hers. It was a soft, tender kiss, but it meant the world to both of them. Tears were streaming down her face and he pulled away from the kiss, reluctantly, to wipe them with his thumbs.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

He pulled her in for another kiss, this one more passionate. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped one arm around her waist, using the other to close the door as he pulled her inside. They both pulled away from the kiss and simply looked at each other. She smiled slowly, her heart in her eyes, and he grabbed her hand gently and led her upstairs to his bedroom.

As soon as the door closed he lifted her up and held her against it. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him close, running her hand through his hair while he trailed gentle kisses down her neck. He then moved his mouth to hers and kissed her zealously, their tongues teasing each other.

He couldn't wait. He wanted her, wanted to please her, wanted to give her all of him. He stopped kissing her and looked at her questioningly, silently asking if she was ready for this.

"It's okay," she whispered, and kissed him tenderly.

He carried her to the bed and pulled the covers back before lowering her onto the bed gently. As they slowly removed each other's clothes, he had to restrain himself from literally ripping her clothes from her body. They took their time, he moving his hands along every curve of her, she kissing every point of revealed skin.

When every piece of clothing was removed he couldn't help but stare at her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever been with, and she was his forever. She noticed him staring and a self-righteous smile appeared. He smiled at her and whispered "stop being so smug." She laughed.

_Music to my ears, _he thought happily.

"What are you waiting for, Damon? I'm getting bored." His eyebrows rose.

"Good things take time, witch." As he spoke his hand moved up her leg, reaching her thigh. She grew silent, her breathing slightly picking up. His hand rose up even higher.

"Got nothing to say now?" he said arrogantly. She slapped his shoulder playfully. "Don't make me change my mind." He took that as an invitation and kissed her, his tongue playing with hers while his hand remained between her legs, slowly rubbing.

She softly moaned and he rubbed faster, using his fingers to enter her. She gasped and closed her eyes, letting him pleasure her. He wanted to do everything to her, pleasure her every single way he knew how-and he knew a lot of ways. As he felt her climax beneath him, he kissed her lovingly. She opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Are you ready for this?" He asked, concerned. "Are you?" she replied weakly. He couldn't resist her. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed them fervently, his tongue massaging hers.

He entered her slowly, allowing her to grow accustomed to her. They moved unhurriedly but rhythmically, like their bodies were made for one another. Bonnie took Damon's hand in hers, fingers intertwined. He had to use all his self-control not to be selfish with her, make sure she was the one who he took care of, not the other way around. As they moved faster, he felt his control breaking. He couldn't hold on any longer, she was too much for him. She was getting ready to orgasm, and he wasn't far away. As he felt both of them climbing closer and closer, she opened her eyes and stared up at him, challenging him to finish before her. But he had just enough will power to hold on to himself. Instead he kissed her again and moved his hand down within her thighs. As he touched her she climaxed, and he followed her, both of them gasping and reaching for one another so they could enjoy the ride together.

* * *

When the high had worn off they lay together, Bonnie falling asleep on Damon's chest. One hand was holding hers, while the other lazily ran through her hair. He'd missed it, her beautiful curls. He looked over at his alarm clock: they'd been in bed for about two and a half hours; they'd had sex at least three times. She was… magical. He thought back to what Stefan had said to him earlier:

_You have a good day, Damon._ He'd known. He'd known what Bonnie was about to do… because Elena had texted him telling him so.

Damon smiled. He'd have to thank those two later. If it weren't for them, both he and Bonnie would be alone and depressed, thinking about what could have been.

Bonnie snuggled closer and he wrapped his arm around her. She would have to recoup, but after that, round four was on.

Or was it five?

_Looks like we'll have to start over, _he thought happily before falling asleep.

* * *

**So tell me what you think!**

**Because Bonnie and Damon are officially together as of now, this will most likely be the last chapter before the epilogue. Thanks to everybody who stuck to the story up to this point, you're all gems :)**

**Read and review away, thanks again for your support! Love you all xx**


	22. Epilogue

**Here it is, the epilogue! I had to think about this for a while because I wasn't sure how to finish this. But I'm pretty happy with what I wrote :)**

**Thank you to every single person who read my very first fan fic, and a huge thank you to all those who reviewed and encouraged me to continue, it really mean a lot.**

**Hopefully I'll start another fic soon, but for now please enjoy the end of this story. Love you all xx  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

* * *

**Six months later**

Bonnie had survived her first semester of college and was now on holiday, hence the reason for her sleeping in on a Monday morning. She'd finally made her decision on what to study: she was following her grams' footsteps in occult studies and, surprisingly, was enjoying it immensely.

She went through her usual routine, showering, brushing her teeth and having breakfast. While she ate, Caroline joined her at the table of their apartment.

"So when does he get here?" Caroline asked. Bonnie smiled.

"He'll be here soon," she replied. "When are we leaving for Stefan and Elena's?"

"Not until this afternoon. Don't worry, you can spend some 'quality time' with Damon before we leave," Caroline answered, using her hands to make quotation marks. "I'll be out of the house too; I'm meeting Matt for lunch. But I'll keep you company until Damon arrives."

Bonnie ran into Matt yesterday and they'd caught up over lunch. It was like high school all over again. They were all going to the same college and didn't live very far apart, plus they could all meet up whenever they want as long as their schedules allowed it. She loved being here, away from Mystic Falls but still around the people she loved. Damon also came up every weekend to stay, something Bonnie always looked forward to.

Over the last six months she and Damon had strengthened their relationship and, if possible, become even closer. As he had promised, he'd helped her work on her magic to the point where she was easily able to control it now. There were instances where she would have intense emotions and something would happen-like the last time Damon came to stay. They had been in bed and all the light bulbs in the house had burst. It was really quite funny when she thought about it now, but Caroline had not been impressed.

As her mind wandered, the front door opened and Damon walked in, his keys hanging in his hand. She smiled brightly as he walked over to her, and kissed her on the forehead while she took a bite of toast. He then pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.

Caroline stood from the table and Damon nodded at her. "Blondie." Caroline sighed in exasperation. "Hey, Damon."

She grabbed her keys from the counter, along with a couple of books, and walked to the door. "Okay, I'm leaving," she announced as she grabbed the door handle. "I'll be running errands today, so I won't be back until around four o'clock. So be decent when I come home this time."

Bonnie blushed. A few weeks ago when Damon showed up, Bonnie had been so excited to see him that they hadn't even made it to the bedroom. Caroline had returned to the house to find them on the couch, and walked straight back out the door. Bonnie had apologised numerous times since.

"Sorry again, Caroline. Don't worry, we'll be good."

"Speak for yourself," Damon smirked. She grinned mischievously and Caroline looked between them as they looked at each other. "You could at least wait until I leave the house," she said with a smile.

Damon and Bonnie both looked at her and she sighed. "Fine, I'm leaving. Remember, I'll be back at four, and then we'll go over to Stefan and Elena's."

Bonnie nodded and Caroline left, shutting the door behind her. Damon made idle chit chat while Bonnie finished eating, and then she took her dishes to the sink. She felt strong arms wrap around her waist and she involuntarily smiled.

"I missed you," Damon said quietly.

"I missed you too, and it's only been a week," she replied.

"Nine days actually," he corrected and she laughed at him as she turned around in his arms.

"We should probably make up for lost time then," she said seriously and he smiled and kissed her softly. His kisses were what she missed most when he wasn't here. It was like they had a special effect on her, on her senses. They were incredible.

The kiss became more ardent, he lifting her up on to the counter and her wrapping her legs around his waist, moving her hands under his expensive shirt. His cologne was intoxicating and she moved one of her hands to brush through his silky black hair. Their tongues moved together, hurried and full of passion and longing.

Damon gently picked Bonnie up and carried her to her bedroom where he lay her down. He ran his fingertips down her neck and her breathing picked up. It still amazed her how he could arouse her with just the slightest touch. She rolled over so she was on top of him and they took off each other's clothes like their lives depended on it. Soon enough they were naked and under the covers, she on top of him, lowering herself on to him slowly to make him suffer. He closed his eyes and let her do what she wanted, allowing her to use him as she pleased. He placed his hands on her hips and moved with her, perfectly in sync with one another. As they got closer she felt him move his hand from her hip and touch her between her legs. She gasped quietly and rode him even faster, needing to release. They climaxed at the same time. Bonnie reached for Damon's hands and intertwined them in front of her as they rode the orgasm together.

* * *

They enjoyed each other's company in bed for a couple more hours, but Caroline would be home in less than an hour now. They both showered and changed, and when Caroline walked hesitantly through the door a little after four, she was met with two pairs of eyes glancing away from the television. Damon smiled innocently from the couch and she sighed with relief.

"Did you have a nice lunch with Donovan?" He asked.

Caroline looked at him. "Yeah, it was great. Did you two have a good… ugh, never mind. I already know the answer." Damon smirked and Bonnie giggled, snuggling closer to him.

"We had a very good day, thanks for asking," Damon replied and Caroline snorted. "Of course you did. Alright, I'm going to take a shower and then we'll head over?"

Bonnie nodded. "Sounds good. Take your time getting ready, it's still a little early."

Caroline smiled and then went to her room, leaving Damon and Bonnie alone once again.

"So do you know why we're having dinner at their house on such short notice?" Bonnie asked.

Something flashed across Damon's face, some telling sign, but it was gone before Bonnie could decipher what it was. He looked down at her. "My guess is as good as yours. Maybe it's a late birthday dinner." Elena's birthday had been a week ago, and Stefan had surprised her with a trip to Italy, so they hadn't been able to all celebrate together. They'd only just got back yesterday. Damon smiled a knowing smile, and Bonnie looked at him curiously, but he kissed her before she could ask him more about tonight.

It wasn't unusual for them to be invited around for dinner; they went around often and sometimes invited Stefan and Elena around for dinner as well. But Elena hadn't given any explanation for the spontaneous dinner, and she seemed weird when she'd invited them. Bonnie knew it wasn't relationship problems; she saw Elena all the time and she couldn't stop gushing about her and Stefan, which was good to hear.

It was obvious that they were as in love as they were when they first got together. Elena had never been so happy, and Bonnie was ecstatic that they were back to how they used to be after everything they had been through. They were honestly adorable to watch; they would always steal glances at each other when they thought they weren't looking, and they bickered like an old married couple. Anyone could tell they were meant to be.

As Bonnie thought about Elena and Stefan, Caroline re-entered the lounge in a nice sundress. Bonnie also had a sundress on, but whereas Caroline's was strapless and a pale blue, hers was a deep green with capped sleeves. She and Damon stood up from the couch, he in a nice shirt and jeans with his leather jacket. They headed for the door to leave for Stefan and Elena's.

* * *

Dinner was fantastic. Bonnie had forgotten how good of a cook Stefan was, and Elena was glowing the whole night. In her gold maxi dress, she looked perfect in the setting sun. But Bonnie no longer felt resentment for her best friend's beauty and appeal; that had disappeared a long time ago. Everyone sat around the table outside on the deck, the air still holding heat, a soft breeze ruffling the surrounding trees. Elena filled the girls in on Italy, and Bonnie listened intently. Memories drifted back of her time in Venice before Ariana. She really would have to go back someday, it was beautiful.

Damon and Stefan chatted with Matt near the door. She locked eyes with Damon and smiled lovingly when he gave a small wave. Stefan then looked at Bonnie and back at Damon and smiled, then murmured something to which his big brother beamed.

She smiled. Those two brothers were inseparable, and she was glad that after everything they'd been through, they were closer than ever. Stefan then went over to Elena, where he placed his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear. She responded by nodding; she looked nervous.

Just then, as Matt went to take his seat next to Caroline, Damon came over and sat in the chair next to Bonnie. He grabbed her hand and squeezed caringly as Stefan went inside for a moment. When he came back out, he had a bottle of wine and glasses. Elena got up out of her chair and went to stand next to him. Bonnie furrowed her eyebrows. Were they about to make a toast?

Elena cleared her throat. "So, as you all know, Stefan took me to Italy for my birthday, and it was… remarkable. You were right about that when you told me about it, Bonnie." Bonnie smiled in acknowledgement. Elena continued.

"And though I admit I was surprised about the trip, Stefan actually did something that surprised me even more…" She looked up at him and he began to talk.

"I know you guys think this is sort of a late birthday dinner for Elena's birthday, but it's actually more of a celebration of our news. We wanted to tell all our friends together…"

Bonnie's eyes widened and she looked at Damon who had a small smile on his face.

"I proposed to Elena while we were in Italy and… she said yes," Stefan said emotionally as he wrapped his arm around Elena's waist. Bonnie hadn't spotted it before, but Elena had subtly put her ring on while Stefan was talking. She held out her hand. "We're engaged!" She exclaimed. There on her finger sat a beautifully cut diamond ring. It was modest by Salvatore standards, but the size was perfect for Elena's tastes. She was a modest kind of woman.

Caroline screamed in excitement and Bonnie smiled widely. Her best friend was getting married. She couldn't believe how happy she was for Elena. She jumped out of her chair and went over to her where she and Caroline both embraced the girl in a group hug. Elena and Caroline had tears in their eyes and Bonnie was pretty close. But this was a happy occasion and she didn't want to cry, so she kept her composure as she moved from Elena and Caroline over to Stefan. He embraced her in a tight hug and she returned it, she was so happy for him. They released each other and she gave her congratulations. She looked over and Damon was congratulating Elena. He gave her a loving hug and then came to stand next to her and his brother, whom he gave an affectionate pat on the shoulder. "Well done, brother."

Bonnie looked at both brothers, but fixed her gaze on Damon. "You already knew, didn't you?"

Damon looked nervous for a second, and tried to regain his innocence. "What, why would you say that?"

Bonnie smiled dryly. "I know you better than you realise. The little smile while Elena was talking, trying to make me think this was a birthday dinner so I wouldn't grow suspicious. But, of course you knew. Stefan is your brother, of course he would tell you." She shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you actually managed not to let it slip. How long did you know?"

Stefan chuckled. "I told him about a month ago what I was planning. Italy was actually his suggestion; he told me you loved it so much, and I thought France was a little…"

"Corny?" Damon offered. Stefan chuckled again.

"Yeah, pretty much." Bonnie grinned. "I'm so, so happy for you both."

Stefan gave her a genuine smile. "Thank you Bonnie, that means a lot. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and talk to my fiancée."

He walked away and Damon took hold of Bonnie's hand. She locked their fingers together and then looked up at him. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Do you think they're going to make it?" She asked worriedly.

Damon looked confused. "What do you mean? Look at them; they're so happy it should be illegal."

"I know," Bonnie replied. "And I wasn't lying when I said I was happy for them. But… she'll grow old, and he'll still be seventeen. Will he really still be in love with her?"

Damon smiled. "Love transcends all, witch, even age. But… they have about the same chance as we do. And I'll tell you this: we have a pretty good chance."

"And how do you think that?" Bonnie asked.

Damon was silent for a moment. "I need to tell you something-about the cure… It's logical to think that traces of the cure are still in Elena's body. We were all discussing the possibility: me, Elena and Stefan. If we can find it, we can replicate it. And if we can replicate it, we can take it. Live how we were supposed to."

Bonnie was dumbstruck. "You would do that? Give up being immortal?"

"Absolutely," Damon said without hesitation. "I love you, Bonnie. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If that means finding a way to become human, then that's only a small price to pay."

Bonnie squeezed his hand tighter. "We don't need to decide anything; we have years before I'm even the same age as you. We can take our time thinking about this."

Damon looked into Bonnie's eyes. "I've never been surer of anything, Bonnie. Do you want this? Do you want me to be human?" Bonnie looked away.

Of course she wanted him to be human. She wanted to have kids with him, grow old with him. But she didn't want him to go after this insane idea if it was only on her behalf. She wanted him to want it for himself. But then she thought again. If it came down to it, if there was no possible way for him to become human, she might even think about giving up her power, her magic, so she could be with him forever. She would do that for him, she loved him so much. That was the absolute last resort for her, but she wouldn't tell him what she was considering. He'd flip out and tell her to forget about it. He would never let her turn. But it would be worth it if she got to spend eternity with him.

Bonnie hesitated before speaking. "I'll love you no matter what. And though it might be easier if you were human, I don't want you to give up what you are if it's not for yourself. I want you to pursue this because you want it for you, not just because it would make me happy. I could never forgive myself if I made you give up your immortality just for me."

Damon sighed. "I've never told you this, but there are times when I miss it. I miss being human. I feel like I'm not whole because I can no longer grow, no longer experience things as I could when I wasn't a vampire. If I do find myself in possession of the cure again, I will take it. I may lose my immortality, but I'd be gaining so much more. I want this. For me and for us."

Bonnie was surprised. Damon had never mentioned to her how he actually felt about being a vampire. She loved him even more.

"We'll search for a way to replicate the cure," she finally said. Damon pulled their hands up to his lips and kissed her fingers. "Me, you, Stefan and Elena. We'll find out how to make the cure, and you and Stefan can become human. We'll work together like we used to before everything got so… mundane."

"Mundane? I thought you enjoyed not having anything supernatural to worry about."

"I did," she said. "But this needs to be done. We all need this. We need to do this. Together."

"Together," he agreed.

* * *

**SO here it is! The end!**

**I left the end like this because I'm thinking of writing a sequel, but it might not necessarily just be Bamon. Also, if I do decide to write a sequel, I won't be able to start it for a while with uni and what not.**

**I hope you enjoyed the story, let me know what you thought of the end, if I could improve my writing, let me know if you have any ideas about what to put in the sequel etc. I love reading people's opinions!**

**Again, thank you for your support for the whole fic, I'm so happy people read it to the very end! Bless you all xx**


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